The Promise
by Shio Uchiha
Summary: Cold, distant, smart and talented - that is Uchiha Shizuka, a girl that got spared by Itachi, who took her with him. After all, Itachi had promised Shisui to take care of the young female. After 4 years, he brings her back to the Hidden Leaf. For Shizuka, the only benefit is to be able to fulfill a promise that she made to herself. But not everything goes as planned.
1. Uchiha Shizuka

**3rd. Pov.**

»Why do I need to stay home? I want to go to the academy like everyone else does. That's not fair,« asked a black-haired girl, looking at her father.

»I'm not arguing with you, Shizuka. I have decided to train you myself, and that's final,« replied the man beside her sternly.

The girl said nothing and decided to go to her room. With a loud bang, the door was shoved shut before the child laid herself on her futon bed and buried her head in the pillows.

All of her peers were allowed to go into the academy to become a ninja. It was customary in all Clans for the parents to prepare their children for ninja living until it was seven and allowed to attend the academy. Her Clan was very proud of his strength and the Clan's Kekkai Genkai, the Sharingan.

Tears ran down the child's cheeks, and not long after that, it knocked.

»Leave me alone.«

The door opened and muffled footsteps echoed through the room. As they fell silent, the mattress lowered under the extra weight. A hand lay on the back of her head and drove slowly and comforting through her black strands.

»Didn't I told you to leave?« the girl's voice sounded muffled through the pillow.

»Ah, c'mon Shizu. It isn't that bad to train at home, right?« the short-haired boy tried to see it in a different light.

» **Doushite**? I can neither learn with the others nor can I play with them. Otou-san is always terribly strict, and you know that, too,« said the black-haired child, raising it's head.

»Otou-san just wants you to get strong,« the big brother sighed.

The ravenette looked defiantly into his onyx-eyes. »But you are strong, too. Probably even stronger than Sasuke's father and you were allowed to go to the academy.«

»Now you are exaggerating, Shizu. I'm not stronger than our patriarch,« the boy with the black light curly hair said and smiled softly.

But in the girl's eyes, despite all modesty, Uchiha Shisui was infallible in all his actions.

»No, I don't. You mastered the Sharingan and the Mangekyo Sharingan perfectly and you've got the Kotoamatsukami. In addition, you master the **Shunshin no Jutsu** like nobody else. You are one of the best fighters among the Uchihas«, Shizuka retorted stubbornly.

»But I only made it because of training,« Shisui paused for a moment and considered before continuing. »Listen Shizuka, I'm gonna talk to Otou-san again. I think I know what your training should be about and maybe I can persuade him to let you go to the academy when the actual goal of the training is achieved. Alright?«

»What kind of goal should that be?« Shizuka asked with small curiosity.

»The Sharingan,« her brother told her.

»But I am seven, Nii-san. No one has been able to activate the Sharingan this young and I also never heard of a female Uchiha who mastered it perfectly. Not even Mikoto-san was able to do it, so how am I supposed to do that. And Itachi is the youngest user of our Kekkei Genkai; he was eight when it activated,« the younger girl reminded him.

Of course, Shisui was aware of that. After all, Uchiha Itachi was next to him one of best in their Clan. Plus, both Shisui and Itachi were friends. Everytime they're sparring, Shizuka was allowed to watch them and she could tell that both her brother and Itachi were good fighters. Her father was very proud of his son and correspondingly had high demands on his daughter too.

»Shizuka, you have a great talent for Ninjutsu and Taijutsu, just like all Uchihas. I'm sure you'll master the Sharingan as well,« the dark-haired male encouraged her.

Shizuka was less convinced of his view. He was right with his statement, but every Uchiha of her age mastered the basic techniques of Fire and Taijutsu. The young female sighed.

Grinning, Shisui raised his hand and ruffled the ravenette's hair. »Don't you worry. We'll get you to the Academy somehow.«

The ravenette looked at him with wide eyes. »You promise?«

The Uchiha looked at his younger sibling and smiled widely. »Promise.«

With that, he leaved her room.

 **Shisui's Pov.**

I didn't like the methods of my father.

He was too strict with Shizuka and his expectations too high. I hated to talk well about his choices.

My sister was still a child. She already didn't behave the way a kid of her age normally would. She was too serious and her thoughts weren't always those of a seven-year-old girl. She was like an adult captured in a child's body and that worried me.

I entered the living room where our father sat and drank his favourite tea. Citrus. »What is it, Shisui?«

»We need to talk about Shizuka,« I began.

»I don't know what's there to talk about. Your sister is a talented young girl and I will not let her waste that talent by going to the academy to play around,« he replied, looking at his cup.

»Like you said, she's a young girl and no emotionless fighting machine. Otou-san, Shizuka is indeed clever and very talented. But she should have the experiences of the academy. She should have friends of her age and be allowed to play. Shizuka doesn't behave like a seven-year-old. Damn, she doesn't even talk like a normal kid,« I countered.

»You won't change my decision, son. I want her to master the Sharingan. She has the nature and talent,« the man said before he serenely drank from his cup.

»You're going to break her, you will not get any more from that,« I said through clenched teeth and openly exposed my anger.

»Shisui, do not take out too much. You're just her brother, but I'm her father,« he said with a cold undertone.

»Yes, I am her brother and as this it is my duty to protect her. I will not stand idly by and watch how you break my sister!«

It wasn't the first time that we argued about her.

Suddenly, Shizuka stood with tears in her eyes in the living room door. »Please don't fight because of me.«

I glared at the black-haired man and knelt down to comfort her.

»I'll do what father says. I'll train home and won't bother with the academy anymore, if you just stop arguing,« she sniffed and lowered her head.

I patted her back comfortingly.

»Good. We will start tomorrow.« With that, our father leaved the room.

Shizuka was still burying her face in the crook of my neck.

»I'll meet with Itachi later. Sasuke will be there too. Want to join us, Shizu?«

Her sadness seemed forgotten. She broke away from me and wiped away her tears before she beamed at me. I smiled back automatically.

It were these moments that still made her look like a happy child rather than a serious adult.

* * *

 **Doushite - How?**

 **Shunshin no Jutsu - Body Flicker Technique**

 ** _AN:_ _Hey there! This is the first chapter of_ The Promise _and I hope you liked it. The story was created in cooperation with_ xxlilithxx88 _and me on Wattpad and is originally written in German. We thought it was a shame that only the Germans could read this story, so I decided to translate it. Now everyone can enjoy it!_**

 ** _The German version can be found on Wattpad._**

 ** _The English version can also be found on Quotev and Wattpad._**

 _Edited on 29th of October 2019_


	2. Sharingan

**Shisui's Pov.**

Sasuke turned to me as Itachi and I finished our training. »Shisui?«

I looked at him questioningly.

»Why is Shizuka not coming with you?« little Sasuke asked.

I blinked in surprise. »Youknow ... Shizuka practices a lot with our father lately and is usually very tired, so she needs to stay home to recover.«

It was true that she was tired, but it was only half of the story. Shizuka had changed.

»Sasuke, why don't you do some exercises with the Shuriken,« suggested Itachi.

The little boy eagerly nodded.

»It didn't get better,« Itachi suggested after making sure that Sasuke was absorbed in his training.

I shook my head. »She retreats more and stays to herself. I don't know what father does to her or how he trains her, but she isn't a child anymore, that's sure. I can't even remember the last time she smiled. She keeps away from me, stays out of my way. She's gotten serious and looks bitter. It's like I predicted, he breaks her. My father is obsessed to awake her Sharingan.«

I angrily clenched my hand into a fist.

»I understand,« he said simply, watching his brother practice.

What else should he say? There were a lot of problems in the Clan at the moment and Itachi also had to deal with his own problems. Everything got out of hand. The elders of the clan began plotting a coup d'état to overthrow the Third Hokage and his administration. I myself was assigned to shadow Itachi, who had behaved strangely since he joined the ANBU.

»Are you going to interfere?« My best friend tore me from my thoughts.

I nodded. »I will not watch any longer.«

I should have intervened long ago. My duties as a ninja and in the clan took me so much that I had delayed it too long.

»You feel guilty,« said Itachi.

»I shouldn't have waited so long,« I replied.

»You have your duties,« he answered.

»But Shizuka has the highest priority. After all, I'm her brother and I need to protect her from that. That's my duty,« I gritted my teeth.

Itachi nodded. »I know how you feel. It may not be that bad with us, but I've neglected my brother, too.«

He seemed a bit depressed about that.

»I have to go now. Sayonara, Sasuke!« I said goodbye and disappeared.

When I arrived home, Shizuka and father were still training in the garden. I really needed to know what he was doing. It was the first time I saw how they trained.

»Do you want to give up already?« mocked our father. »This way you never become as strong as your brother. I always thought you had talent, but I seem to have been wrong.«

Shizuka's exhausted body tensed.

»Shisui would be disappointed if he saw this miserable performance of you.«

He put her under emotional stress and extreme pressure! No wonder she avoided me. She was afraid I might be disappointed with her. That was sheer madness.

I saw him go for her butI intervened. His movements stopped abruptly.

»What do you want here?« he asked.

»I want this to stop! How can you put such thoughts in your mind? I would never be disappointed with her, even if she wasn'table to raise the Sharingan. I told you that you will break herwith your training. I didn'tthink you wouldgo that far. This will stop now!« I exclaimed, and looked threatening at the man in front of me.

»Enough!«

I heard the stern voice of my sister behind me. Surprised, we looked at the girl.

I didn'tbelieve what I saw there. Two ruby eyes glared at us. Shizukahad actually awakened it. While one eye had two tomoes, the other was already fully developed.

»Very good,« our father praised with a wide disgusting grin on his lips, which was commentated by me with a growl.

»I did it,« Shizuka whispered out of breath beforecollapsing with exhaustion.

I caught her before she hit the ground and picked her up.

»Are you satisfied?You managed to emotionally destroy your eight-year-old daughter. Congratulations!« With these words I turned my back on my father and brought my younger siblingto her room.

After making sure she was okay, I left the room and decided to do her something good. It started with a birthday present that I would get her later. Of course, I had not forgotten her birthday, but there was a lot to do at the moment.

 **Shizuka's Pov.**

When I woke up, I was confused. The next day seemed to have begun. It took a few minutes for me to remember what had happened yesterday. I did not remember why father and Shisui were arguing, but I did not care about that at the moment.

I did it.

Father tortured me for months and finally, finally, I had activated it. My body felt heavy like lead and exhaustion was still present, but I was happy. Now Shisui could be proud of me and no longer ashamed for his weak little sister.

I sat on the edge of the bed and took another deep breath before getting up and going to the bathroom to freshen up. After extensively looking at my Sharingan in the mirror and changing my clothes, I went downstairs to the kitchen to see that Prepare breakfast. Since the death of our mother, Shisui and I have been doing most of the housework, including cooking.

»Good morning, Otou-san,« I greeted him stiffly as he entered the kitchen and offered him a cup of citrus tea as he was used to.

He nodded briefly but said nothing. I had expected nothing in response.

My fatherwas hard to please. Probably the training had taken too long. I left it there and gave him his breakfast before going back to my room. Common meals had become foreign to us. Just when I wanted to open a book, there was a knock on my door. Without waiting for an answer, it was opened and my brother entered. I had a bad conscience towards him because I had avoided him as often as possible.

»How are you feeling?« Shisuiasked me and sat down besideme.

»I'm a bit exhausted, but otherwise very well,« I explained, trying not to look in his dark eyes.

»Hey, what's the matter?« he asked worried.

»I activated my Sharingan. Are you now proud of me? You don't need to be ashamed of me anymore, right?« I asked, looking expectantly into his eyes.

He looked a bit shocked, but then he smiled gently.

»Of course, I'm proud of you, even if you didn't had the Sharingan. You have to know that there are two ways to activate the Sharingan. The first way is in distress and there is no way out. The second way is high emotional stress like you were exposed to it,« he said, getting angry.

»I'm sorry that I let it come so far,« he added, looking at me apologetically.

I shook my head and hugged him. »I love you, Nii-san. You don't have to apologize. I know you have a lot to do.«

He returned the hug and hugged me tightly.

* * *

 _Edited on 29th of_ _October_ _19_


	3. Shisui's sacrifice

**Shizuka's Pov.**

In the following weeks, Shisui took over my training in dealing with the Sharingan. Father still didn't let me go to academy, but that didn't bother me anymore. I enjoyed training with my brother and slowly crawled out of my shell. I loved my brother more than anything else and used the time he had for me as his missions increasingly took him.

It was evening and it worried me that Shisui wasn't back yet. He would've let me know if a mission had intervened. Disappointed, I walked through our neighborhoods to our house when I saw Itachi.

Sasuke's brother seemed to be in hurry, so he didn't notice that I followed him unobtrusively. We came to the place where the waterfall passed into the Naka no Kawa River. Shisui stood there on the edge of the cliff, with his back to me. What was he doing here?

»What happened Shisui?« Itachi took a step forwards.

»It'll not be long before the coup d'état. If a civil war breaks out the other countries will certainly intervene and won't be able to do anything against it. I'm sorry Itachi ... Danzo attacked me before I was able to manipulate your father with Kotoamatsukami ... we failed ...«

As my brother turned around, I was startled. His right eye was closed and the blood that came out of the eye socket stuck to his cheek.

»Danzo didn'ttrust my plan... he wants to save the village on his own ...« Shisui's voice had weakened.

»I'm sure he wants my left eye too... but before he gets it, you should have it ...« he continued, taking his last eye out of the socket and handing it to Itachi.

»Protect this village ... and the honor of Uchiha.«

Out of nowhere, a crow appeared and took my brother's eye off, before the animal rose again into the air.

»There's something else ... I need you to take care of Shizuka. I know that Iaska lot, after all, you still have Sasuke. I'm so glad that ... she caught herself. Shejust ... crawled out of her cave and I don't want her to fall into such a hole again. You know how much I love her and how important she is to me,« he said.

Tears streamed down my cheeks. There was silence before Itachi spoke again.

»Of course, but what will you do now?« asked my brother's best friend.

Shisui took a step back.

»Danzo ... poisoned me. You can't help me anymore. Once I'm dead, many things will change. I left ... a message for them ...«

He didn't want to ...

»Wait,Shisui!« Panic was in Itachi's voice when he recognized Shisui's plan.

»Don't hold me back,« Shisui said, dropping off the cliff backwards.

I ran to the cliff edge and tried to do something, but I was too late. My brother fell into the river and was carried away. I collapsed. Tears came from my eyes and dripped on the stones below me.

A hand fell on my shoulder. I turned my head to Itachi, who was crouching next to me and startled again. His Sharingan had changed and blood ran out of his left eye. He had awakened his MangekyoSharingan with Shisui's death. But he also seemed to be in shock and looked at me wide-eyed.

»What ... ?« I asked.

His look scared me.

»Your eyes,« he said.

Only now I realized that my Sharingan had activated. A tingle like a thousand small animals pressed against my orbs.

»What's happening?« I asked, panicking more and more.

»Deactivate it,« said Itachi immediately.

I did what I was told.

»Itachi, what was that? What happens to me?« I asked with fear and had trouble to speak.

I was afraid of what was happening.

Confusion and anger seized on how Danzo, who was so good with our ancestor Uchiha Kagami, attacked my brother and stole his eye as well. Then came unruly sadness that my brother had just thrown himself into the river to die.

My body doesn't obey me anymore. I shuddered as if thrown into a frozen lake, even though it was warm. I felt sick and puked. After emptying my stomach, Ifeltthe dizziness came and everything sank into darkness.

When I woke up again, it was still dark. I shot up when I realized what had happened.

»Shizuka, are you alright?« asked Itachi.

I shook my head.

My brother was death. Gone. He just fell down the cliff. Again tears came to my eyes. I couldn'tstop it. Itachi hugged me and Icried harder. It took me a while until I was reasonably under control again.

»Come on, I'll take you home,« he said, taking me piggyback and running.

»Shizuka, not a word about it, ok?« he asked after a few minutes of silence.

»But why?What is going on?« I asked, wiping the tears from my face.

I didn'tunderstand all that.

»I'll explain it to you later, promise.Please keep what you've heard for yourself.I doubt it was for your eyes and ears.«

That didn'thelp me, but I nodded.

»You should not use your Sharingan for the time being,« he said seriously.

Again I nodded. I was exhausted and just wanted to sleep. The gentle rocking through his footsteps helped and in a short time I was already back in the land of dreams.

The days passed by. As Itachi said, I keptmy Sharingan deactivated. After we found Shisui in the river and gave him a funeral, a monotonous everyday life returned. I did my work at home and mostly left the house afterwards.

Since my brothers death, I didn't feel well there. I could no longer endure the compassionate glances that were thrown to me as I crossed the neighborhood. I retreated back into my bowl of loneliness. Well, not completely like the first time. The only one I spoke to was Itachi.

The Uchiha police force had begun to investigate the case of Shisui, which led Itachi into the center of this investigation. I suggested that he would put it right, but he refused.

He reminded me that Shisui's will wasn'tto tell anyone about the night. He also told me that my MangekyoSharingan was awakened by my the death of Shisui, but he forbade me to use it. He found it unusual because of my age, but it couldn't be changed.

Honestly, I was afraid of using the Mangekyo, which is why I gladly kept the promiseand continued to work on the perfection of my normal Sharingan.

I had promised myself to make Danzo pay for what he did. He should regret attacking my brother and stealing his eye. If I get the chance, I'd get it back. Hell would freeze over before I let this guy have the unique ability of my brother.

Itachi helped me to maintain control of the Mangekyoby showing me how to activate and deactivate it.

And to be honest, I had no clue what this coup d'état was all about. Itachi said that it would only put me in unnecessary danger.

* * *

 _Edited on 29th of_ _October_ _19_


	4. Because Nii-san trusted you

**Shizuka's Pov.**

It had been a few weeks since Shisui's death and I was on my way back home when I met Itachi.

»What are you doing here so late?« he asked.

He looked different. I couldn't describe what was different, but he was definitely not like usual.

»I was training,« I replied confused.

»Shizuka, I want you to go home now. Wait there until I get you. No matter what you may hear, do not leave your room, ok?« he asked, looking at me urgently.

I nodded and hurried to get home. I ran into my room without paying attention to my father, who ignored me anyway, and closed the door.

For a long time, nothing happened. Then I heard the first screams. What's happening out there? I hid under my blanket, my eyes closed tightly. Spasmodically, I did not try to think about what was happening outside and pressed my hands harder against my ears.

I didn't know how long I lay there until the blanket and one hand were gently removed from my ear.

»Shizuka,« I heard Itachi's voice.

I opened my eyes and looked at Sasuke's big brother.

He looked battered. Although he was not physically injured, I could see slight traces of tears on his cheeks. Though his expression said nothing, his eyes reflected pain and grief.

I wiped away the tears. »What happened?«

»I will tell you later. I'll blindfold you now and take you with me. Please trust me,« he said.

I nodded. Of course I trusted him. My brother did too. He put his **Hitai-ate** in front of my eyes and took me on his back. I was startled for a moment as he began to move, but soon calmed down a bit.

We had been on the road for a while before I raised my voice. »Is it still far, Itachi?«

»No, we'll be right there,« he answered.

After a few minutes he stopped.

»Itachi, good that you came. As I can see you didn't came alone. Why did you bring her with you?« I heard an unfamiliar voice, but on the basis of the tone I could guess that our counterpart was a male.

»Because I promised that I would look over her,« Itachi said monotonously.

»You know that's not a permanent solution,« the stranger said.

I felt Itachi nod and start moving again. Judging from the noise, we found ourselves in some kind of cave. The footsteps echoed through the corridors.

»You're going to live here for the time being. Once you enter the room, you can take the blindfold off her. Tell her the rules,« the stranger said and started walking again.

Once the footsteps faded, I heard a door open and Itachi entered. He set me down and closed the door before taking the forehead protector from my eyes.

»Do you explain everything to me now? What are we doing here? What happened at home?« I asked my questions.

»We're in the hideout of an organization called Akatsuki. I brought you here because the Clan no longer exists. They're all dead, except for Sasuke and us,« he said seriously.

»Did you kill them?« I asked, though his face from earlier told me the answer already.

That would have explained why he had cried.

He nodded and turned his eyes away from me as if he was ashamed of what he had done.

I wasn't angry with him. It didn't surprise me either. I didn't have anything that kept me at home. My father only became stricter after Shisui's death and I didn't have any friends. The only one I trusted was Itachi and he was here.

»Will you tell me why you did it?« I checked.

»Not today.« He seemed exhausted, but I wanted to ask him another question that burned my tongue.

»Where is Sasuke?« I was surprised that he wasn't here.

»He's in Konoha,« he retorted.

»But why?«

»This is for purpose. Now please go to sleep. I'll explain everything to you if you're ready for it,« he replied pointing to one of the beds in the room.

Apparently he didn't want to go into the topic any further.

I looked around the room once more. It wasn't very big and only sparsely furnished. It'd be enough to sleep. I went to the bed which he had assigned to me and rolled me into the blanket.

I still wondered why he had not taken Sasuke with him when he was his brother. Was there any connection with the coup d'état that Shisui mentioned? Was Itachi extinguishing our clan? But why then everyone, not just those involved?

I asked myself all these questions before falling into a restless sleep.

 **/Next morning/**

When I woke up, Itachi was already fully dressed and seemed to wait for me to finally open my eyes.

»Mornin',« Imumbled still sleepily and got up.

»Did you sleep well?« asked he.

I shook my head. The night was restless. I had far too much to digest to sleep well.

»Come, I'll show you where you can fresh up,« he said, taking me by the hand.

»I'm not a kid anymore,« I said quietly.

» **Gomene**. I should measure you on other scales than Sasuke,« he said, releasing my hand.

»What do you mean by that?« I asked and stopped.

»Shisui has spoken to me often, expressing his concern that you aren't acting like a kid but mostly like an adult in a child's body. Back then I didn't really understand it, but now I do. Your reaction to the fact that I wiped out our Clan ... Every child would have run away. But you're here and seem to trust me.«

I thought about his words as I followed him silently.

»Itachi?« I asked.

»Huh?«

»What's the definition of a normal child? Who says how a normal kid should behave and how is it measured?« I asked curious.

He stopped and looked at me in surprise. »That's a good question.«

He thought.

»Well, most children of your age are happy, carefree, have friends and play. They are open and you can read them like a book. They show their emotions. You, on the other hand, concentrate on training, appear cold and distant. You don't seem to be interested in finding or playing with friends. You hide your emotions from others, except from me,« Sasuke's brother said then.

»Actually, it's my father's fault. At some point I lost interest in playing and was just trying to get strong and honor the Uchiha. I wanted to make Nii-san proud, he should see how strong I was. It was brainwashing. I couldn't do anything about it, couldn't resist. My father kept reminding me that a true ninja isn't allowed to show feelings. He isn't allowed to be see through. It serves to protect himself and his comrades. It's still different with you anyway. I can not hide my emotions from you just as little as I could from Shisui. Maybe it's because I trust you,« I mumbled.

»But why?« he asked.

I shrugged my shoulders. »Because Nii-san trusted you.«

* * *

 **Hitai-ate - Forehead protector**

 **Gomene - I'm sorry.**

 _Edited on 29th of October 2019_


	5. Back to the Hidden Leaf

**_4 years later ..._**

 **Shizuka's Pov.**

»Don'tuse your Sharingan if it's not necessary.« The black-haired S-rank criminal remembered me, again.

»Why can't I just stay with you? It'd be way easier.«

I didn't want to go back to the Hidden Leaf Village. The fact that Itachi was in the crime organization Akatsuki did not bother me a bit, after all, I had spent the last 4 years with the older Uchiha.

A lot had happened in these years. Itachi trained me in dealing with the Sharingan. He also had Shisui's eye implanted to me so that my left eye had the Eternal Mangekyo and I couldn't go blind on it.

»Shizu, a young girl like you shouldn't live in an organization full of Nuke-Nin's. You should go to the academy like any other kid and look for friends of your own age,« Itachi pulled me out of my thoughts and smiled.

»It's a little late for that. Why did you even take me along when you drop me off again?« I snorted.

»Because your brother asked me to take care of you,« the older ninja sighed. »Shizu, you're 12 years old now and I think it's time to return to a settled life. You know how to fight and survive and you know what Madara said when we arrived back then. It is not a permanent solution. I've had you with me for a while longer than it was agreed.«

» **Demo** ...,« I tried again but he only shook his head.

»No buts, Shizuka.«

»Thickhead,« I growled and kept walking next to him.

»I like to give that back,« he said and smiled.

We were silent for the rest of the way. Just before the gate that brought me back to my hometown, he stopped and leaned down to me.

»You still know what to tell the Hokage?« he asked, looking in my eyes.

»I've escaped you and been hiding for the past few years, afraid that you might be on my heels. When I realized that you obviously didn't look for me, I came back,« I repeated the rehearsed story.

Itachi nodded in satisfaction and ruffled my black hair.

»Like he would believe this crap. No one hid for four years,« I muttered.

»Maybe not you, but a normal kid would have been scared. I beg you, try to behave like a kid of your age,« he retorted.

»Again, we would be by the definition of a normal kid,« I murmured.

The black-haired male chuckled.

»Can you promise me something else?« he asked, ignoring my statement.

I nodded.

»Keep an eye on my brother,« Itachi said.

I nodded again .

»Will we meet again?« I asked.

»Probably not.« A sad smile graced his face.

»That's not fair. Since Shisui's death you're taking care of me and now you're leaving me alone,« I said defiantly.

He laughed softly. »You usually behave like a grown up and today you remind me of a defiant child. I'm trying to set it, alright?«

I nodded but was not really convinced.

»Now go. And remember to hide your power,« he instructed me, hugging him one more time before turning and disappeared.

When he was no longer visible, I continued on my way to Konoha.

I was just about to pass the gate but was stopped by two guards. After explaining everything to them, they took me to the Hokage tower, where entered the office and stood in front of an old man. He looked at me with dilated eyes.

» **Nande**?! Uchiha Shizuka!? How can that be?« he asked stunned.

I told him my rehearsed story.

»I understand,« he said thoughtfully, resting his chin on his clasped hands.

I couldn't believe he really bought it from me.

»Will you take me back to the village?« I asked, hiding the wild hope that he would say "No" and I could go back to Itachi inside me.

»Of course,« he said with a friendly smile.

I hid my disappointment.

»I'd like to go back to my parents' house,« I said.

»Are you sure?« asked he and I nodded.

»Well then. You will get some money every week until you graduate from the academy, wich you will attend from today, and earn your own with the missions,« he explained.

»Ok,« I replied and turned to leave.

He didn't even ask if I wanted to go there at all.

»Shizuka,« he held me back as I opened the door.

I turned around to him again.

The Sandaime Hokage smiled. »It's nice that you survived.«

I only nodded.

I walked swiftly through the village and stopped only when I arrived in the Uchiha district and stood in front of my former house.

When I went inside, I noticed that it looked still the same as it did four years ago. The shoes in the entrance, the pictures hanging on the wall.

I especially liked a certain one. I took it from its place and went into the living room. I turned on the light, as it was already dark outside, sat down in a corner and looked at the picture of my brother and me. It was quiet and for the first time in a long time I felt really lonely.

 **/Next day/**

It was early in the morning when I woke up and got ready for my first day at the academy. On the table in the kitchen was the envelope with the money I had received yesterday. I pocketed it to fill up the refrigerator after the academy, which, of course, no one had checked after the massacre. Accordingly, yesterday it had cost me the rest of the evening to sow the refrigerator.

The clock showed half past eight, so I started my way to the academy. There was a lot going on in the streets. I wasn't used to so many people and felt a little uncomfortable.

In addition, I felt that I was constantly being watched. Probably after the time with Akatsuki I was already quite paranoid.

I didn't know much about the organization, just the number of people, their names and a few abilitys of them. Now or then I've seen a member. Itachi has been careful to keep me away from their machinations.

Arriving at the academy, I was a bit helpless because I knew absolutely nothing here.

»Shizuka?« I was approached by a young man.

His brown hair was tied back tight and he had a scar that rans across the bridge of his nose. I nodded and he smiled friendly.

»I am Sensei Iruka and run the class you'll attend until the final exam,« he explained, gesturing for me to come with him.

I followed him until he stopped in front of a door.

»Wait here until I get you in,« he said and entered the room.

It was quite loud in the classroom.

»Good morning,« I heard Iruka say what it became quiet.

»Starting today, we will have a new student in the class. I would like to introduce her to you,« he said, pushing the door open so I could enter.

I came into the classroom and everyone looked at me.

»This is Uchiha Shizuka.«

Immediately the students began to mumble. I looked around and stopped at a pair of onyx-colored eyes that seemed to pierce me.

 _Great, Shizuka. Welcome back to Konoha._

* * *

 **Demo - but**

 **Nande? - What the ...?**

 _Edited on 30th of October 19_


	6. Uchiha Sasuke

I could imagine that Sasuke had a lot of questions, but why did he have to stare at me so scowling? It was a good five years since he last looked at me like that. That was before I started training with my father. My eyes fixed him. He had changed a lot. While Itachi looked more like his father, Sasuke had the soft features of his mother. If you ignore the face he was drawing, he didn't seem to have anything from his father.

Of course I knew why Itachi let him alive, but I would never let that happen, which I had made clear to him. With the promise to kill Danzo, I would wash the name of Uchiha clean and relieve Itachi.

Iruka did not miss our eye contact. "Well, since you both seem to know each other, you can sit next to Sasuke," he said. "Renouncements," I said and went to the last row, where there was still a window seat available. I should keep an eye on the boy and not make friends with him. I just wanted to graduate from the Academy and then take care of Danzo. I ignored Itachi's advice to find friends. I didn't want friends. They only caused trouble and problems.

The lessons dragged on. I take the time to stare holes in the air. I spent the breaks on a tree. It was stinking boring. Now I knew why Itachi and Shisui had become Genin so early. When it finally ringed, I took my leave and bought groceries. Some villagers looked at me in surprise. Which probably was because I carried the clan emblem on my back and it wasn't aware that there were more survivors of the Uchihas. I ignored their eyes and made my way home.

"You can come out, I've noticed you long ago," I said as I arrived in Uchiha district. I turned and saw Sasuke in the face. This showed nothing. He seemed emotionless, like every Uchiha.

"What do you want?" I questioned. "What are you doing here?" he asked the counter question. "I bought groceries and now I'm going home," I said, raising an eyebrow as it was pretty obvious. " That's not what I meant," he said sternly and took a few steps closer. I know what he wanted to know but I doubted he would take the story of my escape as quickly as the Hokage. I ignored him, turned around and went on.

He jumped in front of me. "I want an answer." "And I want to get through," I said, glaring at him. "Answer my question." I could tell that he lost his patience. "You won't get an answer," I replied and teleported belhin him. "Shizuka."

I stopped and turned my head towards him. "Why didn't he kill you too?" he asked. That was a question I could answer. "Because he promised my brother Because he promised my brother to take care of me shortly before Shisui died," I replied, leaving him behind.

I had successfully linked the night out of my memory and nightmares had eventually stopped. Only the promise remained in my memory. When I got home, I emptied the bags and stashed everything before cooking. Afterwards, I went to the garden and started to fix it.

"Where have you been all the time?" Sasuke's voice brought me from work. "Travelling," I returned monotonously without looking up from my doing. It was not quite a lie, basically. I noticed that he kept watching me and sighed. "Sasuke, what do you want from me?" Annoyed, I turned to face him. "Answers," he said and jumped from the rooftop. "You have to look elsewhere, I have none." He looks closely at me. "You've changed," he stated. "Just like you. Besides, we haven't seen each other for nearly five years. Since it's logical that we are no longer the little children of those days," I replied and went back to the work of gardening.

 **Sasuke Pov**

I watched her continue gardening. I knew she could not be like she was before. I was not. At that time she was already pretty weird. She had never behaved like a child, but it seemed to have got worse. She looked cold and emotionless. Even to me she behaved distanced. When I went to the academy with the other children, her father had trained her.

I had learned much later what he had done to her. For months, she had to suffer emotional humiliation because her father was keen to raise her Sharingan. I did not know if she did it then. Itachi only said thst after Shisui's death she had to train hard.

I liked her brother. He always worried about his sister. In retrospect, I understood why he always looked so angry and bitter when she started her training with their father. For sure, her brother's death hit her hard. Itachi told me he killed him. Did she know about it?

"Instead of standing there and staring at me, you could help me too," she said and turned to me again. There was no expression of emotion on her face. Her dark eyes looked at me emotionless.

I noticed a slight blue cast in her eyes. Despite that she looked like every girl of the Uchiha bloodline. Straight black-blue shimmering hair that reached her shoulder blades and soft features. On the back of her dark clothing shone the Uchiha crest. She was pretty. There were many pretty girls here, no doubt about that, but she surpassed them all. Plus, she was different. She grew up with Uchiha boys around and wasn't impressed by appearances.

I got up and helped her weed weeds.

Although I didn't show it, I was glad that I wasn't the only one left alive. Maybe she would also join me to take revenge on Itachi.

I looked at her side profile.

It didn't seems like she was interested in making friends. She wasn't eager for it then. Actually, I was the only one with whom she gave herself as a child. Probably because our brothers were best friends.

She stood up and walked into the house. Shortly after she came back with two bottlesof water in her hands. She threw me a bottle and sat down on the engawa that led into the garden. "Enough for today," she said, leaning back and looking up at the sky, which began to turn red.


	7. Itachi's visit

I have been in the Leaf for two weeks and all I want is to go back to the Akatsuki. Nothing against the village, it was nice, but definitely overcrowded. The house and the garden I had meanwhile put in order. The academy would be over soon. The exam was approaching, which I was more than grateful for. I shuddered at the thought that I should have stayed there as long as the other kids.

I wasn't very popular with the girls. Either it was because of the looks that Sasuke and I shared at the first day or the fact that he and I had the same way home. I didnt really understand it. For one thing, the looks we exchanged were far from friendly, and I couldn't remember talking to him or checking him out magnificently. I also didn't understand what they found in him. That boy had as much charm as a freezer. Me too, which is why I didn't understand what most of the boys wanted from me. Thankfully, they were not as intrusive as Sasuke's fangirl community.

I just ignored her constant whispering and her evil looks, which sometimes made them mad. Straight Sakura and Ino. I had never experienced worse girls. Also, I didn't understand how they could live out this feelings to such an extent. Did they actually know what love was? They were twelve years old.

At the end of the day, we had to do the Henge no Jutsu, because Naruto, the jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails, had once again scribbled the Hokage faces. He really did that often. As I said, I was here for two weeks and already said, again.

Everyone lined up in a row and I wondered how I could shock people here, because everyone turned to Iruka, which was definitely boring. Itachi would definitely have been too blatant. Sasuke would probably have attacked me, even though he knew it was me. Now it was my turn. But instead of turning into Iruka, I turned into an oversized spider. The girls screamed, the boys laughed and Iruka gave me a dark glare. I turned back and went in the row. I saw Sasuke smile. Wow, he had shown emotions for the first time, if only briefly. Iruka finished the lesson and I went home.

"How can you not make a face when you do something like that?" asked Sasuke, who seemed to be in talking mood today. I shrugged my shoulders. "I am not someone who shows feelings openly" I replied. "Your facial muscles do not even flinch, whether it's funny or annoying. It's like your face is frozen," he said. "By the way, it doesn't seem much better with you."

Our paths parted halfway and I continued on my own. I went to the kitchen and was surprised to find a note on the table.

 **Tonight; in the forest near trainings ground 3.**

That could only have been Itachi. I looked at the clock. I still had some time, but I did not want to miss him. I quickly grabbed an apple and hurried to the meeting point to come. Only on the way did I remember that he had not said where in the forest. I rejected the thought. He would find me. I entered the forest and went deeper and deeper into it as I noticed two red eyes watching me. "Itachi", I was glad, ran to him and hugged him. "How are you doing?" he asked, ruffling my hair. " It's pretty lonely", I replied honestly.

Lies was useless to him. He was the master of lies and always recognized it immediately when I did. "I told you to look for friends." "But if I dont want to have friends? It's enough that your brother annoyed me on the first day with those stupid questions. Besides, the girls from the village are all fangirls from him and do not like me very much, the boys are not intrusive but they are annoying, "I complained to him.

"I've warned you. No one can resist the charme of an uchiha," he said with a smile. I pulled a grin, which made him laugh softly. "How is my brother?" asked he. "Didn't ask him. He's like a freezer. Cery charming and not intrusive at all," I said. "Oh wait! I saw him smile today after I scared the girls," I added. Itachi sighed.

"Can't you take me back? I don't want to stay here, I'd rather be with you and those crazy guys of Akatsuki," I said. "I know that Shizu, but we've had that theme often enough now. I think you're safe in Konoha," he said. "Oh yes. Every Uchiha is totally safe in Danzo's vicinity," I said sarcastically, referring to Shisui. "Safer than with us," he said. I looked into the sky, which was visible through the treetops.

"How else are you?" asked he. "I'm ok, and you should know that. I'm just happy when the academy is over," I replied. "Believe me when I tell you it's not getting better as a Genin. The orders are not what they were in my time," he said. "Yeah yeah, you poor old man," I replied and had to laugh. "I thought you had forgotten how to do it," he said, smiling. "I can only reveal my emotions to you."

"Have you visited Shisui's tomb yet?" he asked carefully. I sighed. "As always, you manage to put my mood in the basement." He looked at me expectantly. "No, I wasnt. I had decided on it, but apparently I'm too cowardly and keep pushing it up. I'm afraid that what I have pushed out of recent years will come back up. I don't want to have these nightmares anymore "I revealed to him.

"I understand", he only said and seemed to think. I rolled my eyes.

That's what he always sais if he did not know what to answer. "I know that I should go to him. He was my brother. I'll go to Shisui tomorrow," I said. He nodded, "I've to go back and you should go home now."

"That was a short visit." I became a bit sad. He tapped my forehead. I found it a bit oblique that he transferred his habits he had with Sasuke to me, but I let him do it if it makes him feel better.

"Gomen. I'll visit another time soon. Promise," he sighed. "Tell the loony 'Hello' from me," I said, hugging him one last time. "And you Shisui," he replied. I nodded to him and he disappeared into the darkness.


	8. Threath

The girls were angry about the spider thing of yesterday and made no effort to blaspheme me. Actually, I was pretty in a good mood. After visiting Itachi, I felt really energetic and the Fangirls would not spoil my mood.

In the break, I sat down again on the tree on which I always spent the breaks. The stupid fangirls apparently wanted to push me in and stood right under me. They continued to blaspheme. I rolled my eyes over it and followed my thoughts.

"I wonder why she was left alive. It would be a relief not to have her here," said a girl I did not know by name. The other girls sniggered. Apparently they opened the hard guns because I ignored them. I didn't care. Should those daft fannies say what they wanted. They had no idea why Itachi had done it.

"The guy probably felt guilty for her after she begged him to spare her," laughed the girl. "That goes too far," said Sakura. I saw that too. I jumped from the tree and stood up in front of the brunette girl. "I think you should not talk so boastful therefore. Who is afraid of a small spider, should not speak of things like pleading or sparing. Leave it to offend me as usual. Otherwise, you could overload your brain and it goes up in flames."

She didn't found it very funny. Typical, hand out but can't handle criticism. "Are you saying that I'm stupid?" she asked, glaring at me. "If you need to ask your question like that, then yes, definitely," I replied. Her eyes formed slits before she attacked me. I caught her blow. "Seems like you're not that strong either. Even I struck harder when I was eight," I said in an arrogant tone. I was allowed to do that in this case. She was really weak. I squeezed her fist in my hand.

"Let me go," she hissed, bracing herself to free her hand. I let go. She lost her balance and stumbled backwards until she landed on her butt.

"Remember that a Uchiha never pleads for her life. She dies rather than lose her pride Someone like you isn't even worthy of completing the academy. You are weak. In a real battle _you_ would beg for your life," I said and crouched down to her. "You should watch what your mouth in the future. Otherwise, I'll not be so friendly anymore," I whispered menacingly. For a second I let my eyes turn red, careful that only she saw it. Her eyes widened and she inched back.

Satisfied with myself, I put my emotionless mask back on, stood upright and went back to the classroom. Of course, I noticed that everyone was staring at me. I now that it was a bit mean, but the brunette definitely deserved it. No one who had the slightest idea what had happened in our clan was allowed to speak like that.

When the lesson was finally over, I went home for a short while before going to Shisui's grave.

Before, I stopped at a flower shop. To my regret, it seemed to belong to the parents of Ino. She was at the cash register and looked at me with big eyes. I ignored her and decided four flowers that best fit my situation. The _Howaitoyuri_ , that symbolized his innocence, _Asutā_ for the memory and _Kiku_ for my grief. I went to the blond girl who started packing the flowers for me. I paid and she gave it to me.

"I want to apologize for my friends. The whole thing is a bit degenerate," she said as I turned to leave. "I don't care. Just leave me alone," I retorted, with no expression on my face.

When I arrived at his grave, I put the flowers down. Due to the fact that Shisui was an ANBU and an Uchiha with Kekkei Genkai, he was cremated so that no one would learn the secrets in his body. So it was more of a memorial than a grave.

With my fingers I drove over the engraving of his name. I said nothing, but crouched in silence before the stone. What should I tell him? Of course, I wondered what would have been, if the boy with curly black hair would still be alive, but thinking about it didn't help.

Shisui would be worried if he could see what had happened to me, that's sure. The only one I had contact with was Itachi. He was not a friend. Rather, a brother replacement, but that didn't mean that he could replace Shisui. Nobody could. He was unique and would have done everything to protect the village. But in the end, he succumbed to suicide and put a burden on Itachi to protect the village and preserve the honor of our name.

Basically, only Danzo was to blame for everything. I've never been a person who just said 'I hate you'. But for Danzo, however, I was sure that I did. I despised him more than anyone else.

The sound of a crow caught my attention. I looked up at the sky where the black bird was circling. It had gotten pretty cloudy and dark. "Stalker," I mumbled with a smile and shook my head. I looked again at the memorial. "I'm to greet you from Itachi," I whispered, before turning away and leaving as the first drops fell from the sky. Cliché. Sad mood and rain. I hurried to come home. Once there, I was completely drenched.

I hurried to get rid of the wet clothes. Then I prepared the bathtub and slipped inside when it was full. I thought about what happened today. Basically, it had always been like that. Except for this number with the girl. I hoped that the rest of the time at the academy would be less exhausting. I didn't feel like arguing, after all, I couldn't threaten every girl. That would be really annoying in the long run.

 ** _Asutā - Aster_**

 ** _Howaitoyuri - white lily_**

 ** _Kiku - Chrysanthemums_**

 ** _The german names of the flowers are Aster, weiße Lilie and Chrysantheme_**.

 ** _And thanks for the nice comments!_**

 ** _~ Uchiha Ai_**


	9. Nightmares

"Shisui!"

I woke up. My breathing was heavy and irregular, just like my pulse. My clothes were sweaty and as I touched my cheeks, I felt the wetness of the tears. I was hoping to get the nightmares back under control, but it has been going on for nights. If only I hadn't gone to the memorial stone.

I stood up and and went to the bathroom to take a cold shower. Wrapped in a towel, I stepped in front of the mirror. I didn't look particularly good. Due to the continued lack of sleep, I had light eye bags and seemed a little pale. I changed and went to the kitchen. I could not sleep anymore now anyway.

I looked at the clock. 3 am. I sighed. Today would be exhausting. Actually, every day was exhausting at the moment. I usually got along with little sleep, but the stress of the dreams bothered me. I decided to go for a walk to clear my head. It was not cold but fresh. A light breeze swept through the village and the full moon threw its white light on the gloomy streets. Hands buried in my pockets, I walked through our neighborhood. There was no sound except for the soft whistling of the wind.

"Shizuka."

I startled and looked to the right. "Are you crazy? What are you doing here?" I asked Sasuke's older brother. "Come," he said, showing me the direction he wanted to go. Without hesitation, I followed him. In the clearing where he had always done his Shuriken training, we stopped.

'So, what are you doing here? It's not like I'm not happy to see you, but it's dangerous to show up right in the Uchiha district," I said reproachfully. "You look bad." He ignored my accusation and looked at me worriedly. "Don't worry. I'm okay", I answered and hugged him to greet him. "Shizu, lying is no use. Besides it isn't the first time you've been ghosting around at this time," he said, eyeing me. "I just have nightmares and sleep badly," I confessed. I looked away. It wasn't common for me to show my weakness. I didn't want to either, but with the theme of shisui and nightmares I could barely hide my emotions.

"You don't need to be ashamed," said the older Uchiha and forced me to look at him. I swallowed hard, bit my lower lip, and held back the tears as best I could, when I saw his warm and sympathetic gaze.

"A Shinobi must never show any weakness. You forgot that alalready?" I repeated the sentence my father had beaten into me for months. "When you eat your grief and pain into yourself, you will break and only thing left will be darkness. The hate that you project on the guilty of you will eat you up," he said, hugging me and stroking my back in comfort, as my brother always did when I wasn't feeling well.

Itachi radiated an incredible warmth. Not only physically, but also mentally. I couldn't hold back my tears any longer and wept silently into his coat. Only my quivering, tense body and the wet fabric revealed that I was losing control of my emotions. Sasuke's brother stayed quiet and strke my bock in a calming mention. I felt like a small, weak child, but it was good not to hide and just let my feelings run free.

"Do you feel better?" he asked as I released his arms and wiped the wetness from my face. I nodded. The older Uchiha settled into the soft grass and I did the same. My legs bent and my arms wrapped around them, I looked into the darkness of the forest. He didn't speak and just lingered next to me. "Will this stop sometime?" I asked quietly. "What exactly?" he asked. "The pain, the weeping, the nightmares." I looked at his side profile.

He shook his head. "At some point, you will not have to cry any more, but the pain and sadness of the loss never go away. In your case it's especially hard. Your father didn't treat youwell and Shisui was always there for you. Your brother tried to protect you from your father, comforted you when you were not well. You witnessed his death. That you were so young at the time, of course, wasn't helpful."

I nodded. "How do you handle that? I mean, in your case, it's even worse. You have seen Shisui die and then the thing with our clan. You havve to have guilt feelings, and yet I never saw you cry, except for the night it happened," I said, reminding myself.

"I volunteered this way. I know what I did it for. My plans for the future were already set when I did it. It doesn't mean that it makes things easier, but it gives me comfort," he stated. He was able to save his brother. He had done it all for Sasuke. He really loved him.

"You should go home now. The sun will rise soon." Itachi stood up and took my hand to help me. He hugged me once more and tapped my forehead before promising me to come back soon.

I made my way home. Itachi really took care of me. It felt good to have someone at your side. He took his promise to Shisui really seriously and always seemed to keep an eye on me. It would be nice if he would take care of his brother as well, but the Uchiha wasn't dissuaded from his plan. I had given up trying to change his mind. Nevertheless, I stated that it would not come to the execution of this.

 ** _Please comment and tell what you think of the story. ~ Ai Uchiha_**


	10. A piece of the past

**Sasuke Pov.**

I was early in the academy and already sitting in my seat when Shizuka came in. I already noticed yesterday that she looked pretty pale. Today, she topped everything. In addition to her increasing paleness, she also had shadows under her eyes. She looked exhausted. Without paying anyone any attention she went to her seat and sat down. Actually, she swayed more than she went. If she was not feeling well, why didn't she just stay home? She had no problems with the material of the academy and the practical exercises, so why was she torturing herself here?

Iruka entered the room. I took a last look at the young Uchiha, who now looked out of the window, her head resting on her hands. I tried to follow the lesson, but Iruka just repeated everything as the exam would take place soon. I switched off, looked outside and thought about ravenette. Every now and then we talked to each other. It was not much, but it was progress for her. Nevertheless, she remained aloof from me. I thought that if she stayed here longer, she might thaw out. At least to me.

I thought about our childhood and how things used to be back then. How she always beamed when Shisui took her to the meetings of our brothers. The enthusiastic look in her eyes when she saw them training. How she mixed with enthusiasm between the two fighters and wanted to train. Back then she was already strong and fast. Her reflexes were good. Even my father always said that she was very gifted for her age. Then her training began and I didn't see her anymore. Shisui always said she was too exhausted and wanted to rest. I was saddened then, but accepted it. When her training ended, I glimpsed her from time to time with her brother. I already noticed the changes, but I didn't really understand it.

After Shisui's death she got that cold look in her eyes. She greeted no one anymore and often left the neighborhood. Since she had to pass our house for that, it was inevitable that I saw her. My mother always seemed to be worried about her and always had a sad look in her eyes when she saw Shizuka.

The schoolbell rang. I followed the others out and saw the Uchiha sit on the tree where she always sits. I sat in the shadows and stared into the cloudless sky. Alone the appearance of the dark haired girl had changed something in me. For the first time since the massacre I was happy again and didn't feel so lonely anymore. It was as if a piece of the past had come back. A good piece of the past.

"Sasuke-kun!"I looked forward. The girls were on their way to me. I sighed. Couldn't they leave me alone? Before they reached me, I disappeared. I had no desire for this nag.

I jumped on the roof of the academy, where I spent the rest of the break. When it rang, I waited for everyone in the building to disappear and not noticed that Shizuka was missing. I went to the tree and jumped on the branch on which she sat. She had apparently fallen asleep. "Shizuka?" I asked softly. No reaction. I looked at her briefly. Her features seemed completely relaxed. She looked really peaceful. I left her there and went to Iruka-sensei, who was still in the teacher's room.

The brown-haired male seemed surprised. "Sasuke? What can I do for you?" "Shizuka doesn't seem to be feeling well and I wanted you to allow me to bring Shizuka home," I said. "She is been looking pale for a few days," he said, seeming to think. "Alright, bring her home and see if she needs any further help. I don't need to worry about your grades, you both get along well, so it does not matter if you miss something," he said. I nodded and walked back to where the girl slept.

After I loaded her on my back, I jumped off the tree and made my way to her house. Once there, I put the key, which I found in her pocket, in the lock of the front door, and entered. She had to be pretty tired, otherwise she would've already woken up. I went upstairs and found her room after two tries. Carefully, I put her down on the bed before covering her with a blanket and walked downstairs again.

I looked around. Although I have been in the garden before, I haven't seen the interior of the house before. In the hallway hung a few pictures of her in her younger years and her family. Many of them showed a smiling Shizuka with her brother. My eyes broke away from the radiant ravenette and I went into the living room, which led into the garden. I sat on the porch and decided to wait until the Uchiha woke up again.

 **Shizuka Pov.**

I felt that I was lying on something soft. When I opened my eyes, I looked at a blanket down to me. I sat up. How did I get home? Why was I here at all? I was just sitting on a tree at the academy. I guess I fall asleep. I felt better. But who brought me home? I got up and went downstairs.

When I stepped into the living room, I saw Sasuke sitting with his back to me on the porch. I stepped outside. "Ne, Sleeping Beauty, awake again?" he asked with a teasing undertone. "What are you doing here?" I asked and didn't respond to the new nickname. "You fell asleep during the break, so I asked Iruka if I could bring you home," he retorted. "Why did you do it?" I asked and was a little surprised. He was different to me than the others, but I didn't think he came up with such ideas. "You looked like you could use sleep," he said with a shrug.

A glance at the clock behind me on the wall told me that the afternoon had begun. I sighed and went to the kitchen. If he'd brought me home and sat here all the time, I figured he probably hadn't eaten. So I started to do make some food.

"What are you doing there?" he asked as I was making some Onigiri. "Food, what does it look like? I can't throw you out after you've been waiting here all the time for me to wake up," I replied, handing him an already finished plate. His look was surprised. I did not know if it was because he had his favorite food in front of him or because I really did cook something for him.


	11. Team 7

The day of the exam finally arrived. Bored, I looked out of the window while I waited to be called. The girls had left me alone until now. Good for them 'cause I make no empty promises. "Uchiha Sasuke," one of the teachers called. Sasuke stood up and leaved the classroom.

The exam was a bad joke. We had to create shadow clones. No wonder that such weak girls as the brunette or Haruno Sakura came through the exam. I wondered if Itachi was right, that the missions were just as boring for us as the Academy.

"Uchiha Shizuka," the teacher interrupted my thoughts. I got up and followed the guy into a separate room. Iruka and another Sensei, whom I did not know, sat there and smiled encouragingly. "Good Shizuka, you know what it's all about," said Iruka and nodded encouragingly.

I concentrated a small amount of chakra and _PUFF!_ there were five shadow clones in the room. Five weren't required, but the faces the two mans made were amusing. Iruka was the first to catch himself and put on a smile. "Congratulation. I'll see you tomorrow," he said, handing me a Hitei-ate with the sign of Konohagakure. I nodded and left the room.

Since nothing would happen today, I decided to go home. As I stepped out of the academy, I saw the other students proudly presenting their parents with headbands. Well, except for Naruto. I assumed that he did not make it. The womans began to whisper. I heard how derogatory they talked about him. Did they even know what they were doing to him?

"Shizuka." I turned around to dark haired male. A Hitei-ate was on his forehead. "Let's go home," he said. I said nothing and together we walked to the Uchiha district. The common way back home had become commonplace. Also that he was sitting unannounced in my garden or living room from time to time was already routine.

In the beginning I had been terribly mad about it, but he seemed just as stubborn as his older brother. Because the excitement became too stressful for me in the long run and Sasuke did what he wanted anyway, I just let him. Stupid Uchiha. But he had stopped asking questions about the past.

We didn't talk much. I was glad he was not such a chatterbox like the Uzumaki. Nevertheless, I had the feeling that he seemed to thaw. Every now and then I saw that he dropped his emotionless mask, even if it's only in my presence. By now I had become accustomed to his presence and also felt a little less lonely.

I went into the house and put my headband on the kitchen table before going across the porch to the garden and trainined for the rest of the day.

 **Next day in the academy**

I stepped into the classroom to be greeted by the sight of Sasuke once again surrounded by his fangirls, who argued who was allowed to sit next to him. I rolled my eyes and headed towards my seat. I was squeezing through the crowd of girls when suddenly someone pulled on my sleeve. I lost my balance and thankfully landed on one of the benches. It got quiet. When I realized where I was sitting, I realized that the day couldn't have started worse. "Good. Since Shizuka is sitting here now, that's cleared up," said Sasuke monotonously to the fangirls.

They scowled at me. They acted as if I wanted to sit here voluntarily. I decided to get up and sit in my seat behind Sasuke, but before I could do that, the ravenette unobtrusively grabbed my hand and held me tight. The crowd dissolved gradually. "This has an repercussion," I growled at him, which he commented with a shewd smile. Sometimes he was a real idiot.

 **/In the meantime at the Hokage tower/**

 **Kakashi Pov.**

The teams were announced. Because of Shizuka's return, I had one more person on my team. The chaotic Uzumaki Naruto; the shy but theoretically good girl Haruno Sakura and the two emotionless Uchihas. That would be interesting. When I learned who should be on my team I made myself a picture about their current living situation. Except for Sakura the others lived alone.

While Naruto's apartment was like his character, the two Uchiha were very neat. I had expected nothing else. I knew Itachi and stayed with him in the ANBU unit for a while. He was just as neat and paid attention to every little thing. Shisui wasn't unknown to me either. I never had anything to do with him personally, but who did not know _Shunshin no Shisui_?

The other Jōnin had already left and left me alone with the Hokage. "Are you sure you should put the two in a team?" I asked, referring to the two Uchiha. "You are the right one, should Sasuke awaken his Sharingan. Although I do not know any women or girl that have already made it, but basically, she would be able to. If she succeeds as well, both of them need someone to help them deal with the Sharingan. She also seems to positively influence Sasuke, according to Iruka." The Hokage exhaled the smoke from his pipe. I nodded and disappeared as well.

The kids had lunch now before we should meet them, so I decided to watch them again. Sakura dispelled the time with Naruto, who has turned into Sasuke, while the two Uchiha sat silently on a tree next to each other. If they didn't draw such petrified expressions and look at each other, you could consider them as a loving couple. I had often seen them go home together. They also seemed to spend their free time together, as Sasuke was often at her home.

I was curious how they performed in the exam. So far, no team had managed to pass the bell test. I retired and thought about the four Genin. My way led me, as so often, to the cemetery. I forgot the time and came back too late.

When I opened the door, I sensed something falling on my head and was lying on the floor. A blackboard eraser. I looked in the classroom. While Naruto laughed, Sakura justified himself. Sasuke looked at me with an indefinable look, while Shizuka apparently showed no interest in the action as she looked out the window. Well that'll be interesting.


	12. A unique girl

**Kakashi's Pov.**

The next day I explained the Genin out of which my exam consisted. Since I had a student more, I needed another bell. When I explained to them that the exam was a selection process to sort out the ninja, which were inappropriate, Sakura and Naruto got upset. Sasuke jerked briefly and Shizuka showed no reaction. She stood motionless, studying me intently. I had already heard that she was talented in theory and practice and showed little emotion, but at least I had expected a small reaction.

As soon as I gave the start signal, three of them hid, while Naruto faced me openly. I had already identified the positions of Sakura and Sasuke, but Shizuka seemed to be well concealed. I fought Naruto's attacks. I was a little surprised when he used shadow clones. Although I knew he was in control of the technique, I was surprised.

After luring himself into a trap, I first took care of Sakura. Getting her into a genjutsu was easy. I doubted that the two Uchiha were so easy to outwit. Sasuke kept himself well hidden and Shizuka often changed her position, which made her hard to spot. She had fled from Itachi for many years as far as I could tell, so hiding was natural to her.

I spotted Sasuke and started a fight against him. The Taijutsu of the Uchiha heir had potential and I was also surprised about the _Gōkakyū no Jutsu_. That a boy of this young age mastered the technique to such extent was amazing. Uchihas, however, were known to learn this Jutsu and others of the type fire release early. He was pretty good, even if he did not reach Itachi. I nailed him with one of my earth jutsu's and set out to find Shizuka. I turned around as I felt a presence in my back. How had she got there so fast?

I dodged a kick by holding her leg. Her Taijutsu was similar to Sasukes. Let's see if she was just as easy to fool. She used her other leg to kick me. I took my free hand to fix it so that the girl hung upside down. Before I knew it, Shizuka had formed hand signs and shot a ball of fire at me. I had to let go of her to avoid the flames. I corrected myself. Her fighting style was different. More hand signs were formed in turn and several fire missiles flew towards me. So she also mastered the _Hōsenka no Jutsu_.

Suddenly, strings wrapped around my body. I used _Kawarimi no Jutsu_ to free myself from it and landed on a tree. When I looked down to her, she was already gone. "Never let your guard down," Shizukas voice sounded as she held a kunai to my throat. How had she found me so fast? She reached for the bell. I grabbed her hand and flung her down. "Never reveal your position, even if you have the advantage," I said. She collapsed on impact. A shadow clone.

"Sensei." I looked up, straight into two red irises. Before I could react, I was trapped in a Genjutsu. That was a distraction maneuver. I was too surprised to do anything. I stood in the middle of a meadow. Apparently, nothing bad would happen to me here, since nobody seemed to be here except for me. She had already mastered the Sharingan at this level. But that was not all. Her actions and her thinking seemed pretty advanced. She wasn't obstinate but calm and seemed to think about every step she took.

A few days ago, the Hokage had told me that she was trained by her father and was not allowed to go to the academy. His obsession with activating the Sharingan of his daughter should have been great. This information, according to Hiruzen-sama, came from Shisui himself, who worried about his little sister and asked the Hokage for advice. However, it would explain why she was the way she was. I knew the two types that existed to activate the blood heritage and didn't want to imagine what the Uchiha had done to the black-haired girl to awaken it.

I released the Genjutsu and was now on the training ground three. Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto each had a bell in their hands, while Shizuka stood impassively beside them. Two of the Genin looked surprised. So they hadn't heard anything about what had just happened here. Sasuke, on the other hand, looked closely at the ravenette. She had used the time of my surprise to free the three of them and take the bells from me. Once this was over, I had to talk to the Hokage.

"Did we pass now?" Naruto asked excitedly. "No, you failed. The exam was supposed to show if you're capable of teamwork. Except for Shizuka, none of you seem to be capable of doing so," I countered. I looked into their shocked faces. Well, only Naruto and Sakura looked shocked. I could not interpret the expressions of the two Uchiha. Like the other teams before, I gave them a second chance to prove themselves. After I tied Naruto to a tree post and allowed the others to eat, I took the female Uchiha aside.

"Does anyone know of your Sharingan?" I asked her when we were out of earshot. "Only Itachi and now you too. It would be nice if it stayed like that. Actually, I didn't want to use it either, but you didn't give me a choice," she replied. Again, there was no emotion. "What have you been doing for the past four years?" I asked now. I just couldn't imagine that she had just fled. She must have been eight years old at the time of the massacre and even if she dominated the Sharingan at the time, I doubted that she had taught herself all that. "Survive," she just replied, looking me in the eye.

"I have to talk to the Hokage about it. I do not think you belong in a Team of Genin. He will decide on your future whereabouts," I said. She just nodded. I probably could only teach her new Jutsus. She had no feelings, was calm and focused, pondering her every step twice. She had good analytical skills and combat experience, wherever that came from. She was an unusual girl and definitely not on the level of a Genin.

 ** _Gōkakyū no Jutsy - Great Fireball Technique_**

 ** _Hōsenka no Jutsu - Phoenix Sage Fire Technique_**

 ** _Kawarimi no Jutsu - Body Replacement Technique_**


	13. Don't get accustom to it

**Shizuka's Pov.**

Now I regretted the use of my Sharingan. It has been a really good fight after a long time and Kakashi-sensei was really strong, so I just let myself get carried away. After the three had worked together, Kakashi-sensei revealed that they had passed.

I headed home, followed by Sasuke, wondering what would happen once the Hokage knew I could handle my Sharingan. Kakashi-sensei was already suspicious, so I wondered how I could expand my story to justify my abilities.

»Shizuka.« Sasuke tore me from my thoughts. I looked to him. »How did you do it?« he asked. »What exactly?« I asked the counter question. He looked a little annoyed. »How did you get the bells?« I shrugged my shoulders. »I lured Kakashi-sensei into an ambush. Nothing more,« I replied. It wasn't quite so lied. Still, he didn't seem to really believe me. »And what did the Sensei really want from you?« he asked, just before our ways parted.

»He wanted to know what I've been doing over the last few years,« I replied, ending the conversation. However, Sasuke didn't turn off at the intersection, but went straight ahead, contrary to my expectations. »What are you doing?« He crossed his arms behind his head. »I'll take you home. A girl should not go home alone in the dark,« he said, stalking straight ahead. I stopped and looked at him before I started to laugh softly. I had no control over it. It was just too silly.

 **Sasuke's Pov.**

I stopped when a soft laugh reached my ears. It sounded neither dry nor sardonic. My eyes widened as I turned and her face was not emotionless, but seemed genuinely amused. I was speechless. All the weeks she was here, she showed no emotions and now she laughed. Cautious and quiet, but she laughed. The next moment I remembered why she was laughing. She was the only one who beat Kakashi and I, who had muffed the exam, brought her home because it was already dark. She calmed down again, but looked at me for a while amused, before she put on her usual expression. Without another word, she passed me and continued on her way. I took that as a success and went after her.

When she arrived at her house, she turned around. »Do you think I can go the rest by myself or do you want to check the house for dangers?« she asked teasingly. »Maybe I should really,« I said, responding to her provocation. She unlocked the door and let me go in first. Since I didn't want to pinch now I went in and turned on the light.

»While you look around for the deadly dangers, I'm in the kitchen,« she said, walking past me. I didn't know what was wrong with her, but actually I found the turnaround quite amusing. Today she talked more than in the last weeks together. Then the laughter and the provocations. As if a completely different person would stand before me. It made me a bit startled.

I decided to follow her and sat down at the counter that separated the kitchen and the living room. Shizuka prepared the food as I studied her and wondered if anything else seemed different on her. »Why are you staring at me?« she asked as she seemed to notice my eyes. »You are different today,« I replied. »Do not get used to it,« she said, preparing the vegetables.

So it was her. I rejected the theory of a doppelganger and continued to watch her. It certainly looked pretty professional how she cooked. »Where did you learn to cook like that?« I asked, remembering the stuffed rice balls from the last time. » _Aniki_ taught me. You know that our mother died early and so we had to take over her responsibilities and when Shisui had less and less time because of his duties in the clan and also as Anbu, he showed me,« she said. I was silent, because I didn't want to break the current mood further.

When she finished, she presented me a plate of rice, fried fish and vegetables. »Here. In gratitude for your heroic effort to protect me from danger. As I said, don't get used to it,« she said, sitting down opposite me. I nodded and started to eat. Just like the last time, it tasted really good. After dinner, I said goodbye and headed home.

I thought about what had happened today. It was pretty successful. Shizuka had finally dropped her mask, if only briefly. Maybe I could make the same change in her as she did with me. Nevertheless, the question remained open how she had managed to take the bells off the Sensei. The story of the ambush didn't seem like a lie, but I thought there was more behind it.

 **Shizuka's Pov.**

Sasuke was finally gone. I didn't know how it could happen that I lost control of my emotions. That could not happen again. I wasn't here to make friends with Itachi's brother, I had to focus on my plan. Nevertheless it was good not to hide completely.

»Uchiha Shizuka?«

I glanced at the open door of the porch, where a member of the Anbu stood. »Hokage-sama wishes to see you,« he said. I nodded, whereupon the man disappeared. Why did he want to see me today? That would have had time until tomorrow. They acted as if I had done something serious. I quickly cleared the crockery that was left in the sink and then went to the office of the Sandaime.

I entered the building, went up the stairs, and stopped at the door of the office. After I knocked, the Hokage invited me in. He was not alone in the round room. Next to him were Kakashi and to my surprise even the man, who is the reason why I had even returned to the village.

Shimura Danzo.


	14. Shizuka's Story

**Shizuka's Pov.**

I didn't show anything and indicated a bow to the Hokage. »You have called me?« I asked.

»I'm sorry for ordering you so late, but as Kakashi already explained you, he told me about your training today,« the old man said, smiling. I just nodded. »Kakashi thinks that your skills are outstanding and that you are too far for a Genin. Also he said that you have excellent control over your Sharingan and are able to produce Genjutsu's,« he continued. I answered with a nod. »Then you will surely understand why we are suspicious of your story in this case.« I nodded again. »Well then, would you please explain to us how you managed to master your Sharingan?« he asked and gestured me to sit in a chair in front of the desk. I sat down.

»I do not know how far the rumors have come to you when it was clear that my father would train me at home, but I think I should start at this point,« I began and the Sandaime nodded. »Due to my abilities at that time and my way of thinking, which at that time already differed from other children, my father thought that I was ready to actiactivate the Sharingan. He forbade me to go to the academy and started putting me under pressure and emotional stress for months. He always told me how proud he was of Shisui and what a weakling I was. That he and Shisui were ashamed of me and my weakness.« I paused briefly.

»At some time I was at a point where I could not stand it anymore. That was the time at which I awake the Sharingan, but my training was not just humiliation, it was just the bulk of it. He teached me everything that was important for the ninja existence, trimmed me to hide my feelings. He was anxious to make me as strong as my brother. After Shisui took over my training, he taught me about armscraft. He was the one who showed me how to handle the Sharingan until he died. With the help of the blood heritage, I was able to flee from Itachi's attack and also to copy some Genjutsu from him that he was trying to use on me. For some time, I lived in the woods of the Land of Fire until I changed locations because I saw Itachi again and again. It just seemed safer not to stay in just one place. The Sharingan allowed me to copy some jutsu that I saw on my way. The almost encounters with Itachi became more and more rare and I decided to come back to my homeland,« I ended.

I did not find the story so bad, even if it was definitely expandable. Kakashi and the Hokage looked stunned. Whether it was because of telling the story as if it didn't affect me or what I had to go through, I didn't know. Danzo, on the other hand, did not seem to be touched. I honestly did not expect that either.

»I'm sorry if we stirred up old feelings again. Now it makes all sense and explains why you only told half when you arrived. Still I'd like to get an idea of your abilities and ask you to compete against another opponent I will chose,« said the Hokage. I only nodded. »Well, then I would suggest that we meet at eight o'clock in the morning at the trainings ground five,« explained Danzo. »Alright,« I replied. The Sandaime nodded in agreement. »Then you can go home again, sorry that we let you come so late.«

»I'll meet you tomorrow,« I said, getting to my feet, bowing again and then leaving the room. I felt the piercing gaze of Danzo in my back as I walked to the door. Why was he there? I still understood Kakashi that Kakashiwas there, after all it was him who had fought with me.

»I do not like how this thing develops.« »But you can not change it now,« I said and turned around to look at Itachi. He showed me to follow him. »Are you stalking me now?« I asked on the way through the woods. He shook his head and moved on. »What happened?« he asked, stopping at a clearing.

»I got carried away in a fight with Kakashi. I used my Sharingan and put him in a Genjutsu. But it was just a simplistic,« I said and looked at him apologetically. He sighed. »What do you think why Danzo was there?« I asked him when I realized that he wasn't going to speak. »Why? You did not fall on your head. He's of course interested in you. After all, you're Shisui's sister, and he'll assume that once you master the Mangekyou, you'll be mastering the Kotamatsukami as well. If he finds out that you have your brother's left eye, he will not hesitate and try to appropriate it,« he said, looking annoyed. »I can't change it, it happened,« I replied. He nodded.

»How can it be that you are always there when something happens?« I asked. »Coincidence?« he answered. »Che. As if. With Uchiha Itachi, nothing happens by coincidence,« I snorted. He pointed upwards. I followed the direction and discovered a crow. »So you _are_ watching me 'round the clock,« I said. »No. I let it fly over the village every three days to check on you,« he replied. »Stalker,« I murmured. »What should I do tomorrow?« I asked and changed the subject. »It's too late to hold back. Kakashi is not stupid and he would recognize it if he were present. Hide your Mangekyou and do not use strong Genjutsu,« he advised. I nodded.

»What about my brother?« he asked, directing the conversation in a direction he wanted. »He has passed the exam and tomorrow he'll go on his first mission. He seems very distrustful of my abilities, and I doubt that he completely denied me the story of the ambush against Kakashi,« I said. »I've seen you several times together before. Have you made friends?« he asked with interest.

I raised an eyebrow. »No, we didn't ... First, he always turned up at my house without asking, which really annoyed me a lot, but I've gotten used to it now and have to admit that it makes my life here a little more enjoyable. We don't talk very much, which doesn't bother me, but it still takes away the loneliness that I felt at first,« I admitted. A smirk grew on the Uchihas face.

»What are the nightmares doing?« he asked further. »Every now and then I wake up in the middle of the night, but it is bearable,« I replied, ignoring his expression. »You should rest now, I have to go back,« he said. I nodded and said goodbye before he disappeared into the darkness.


	15. The second test

**Shizuka's Pov.**

I was already at the training ground at half past eight, waiting for the Hokage and my opponent. If I followed Itachi's instructions, nothing should go wrong. I wasn't really excited. I was convinced of my abilities, after all, Itachi had trained me for the past four years.

I was curious if Kakashi-sensei would cone too. Itachi assumed that. According to his narrations, the Hatake also had a Sharingan in his left eye, which would explain why he kept his eye hidden. For Non-Uchiha, these skills cost a big amount of chakra in the long run and they were unable to deactivate it.

»Good morning, Shizuka,« the Hokage brought me out of my thoughts. »Good morning,« I replied, bowing briefly before looking for his companion. Kakashi-sensei was actually there. In addition, an ANBU and Danzo had come. »Isn't this posse a little large just to watch a girl fight?« I asked.

»The two are very experienced fighters and have asked to rate you. You now know who your opponent is,« the Sandaime said, pointing to the Anbu. I just nodded. It doesn't matter to me who I started against. »Let them begin,« Danzo said.

As the Anbu and I stepped into the middle of the field, the three spectators went back a bit. I assumed that my opponent knew about me, so I decided to confuse him a bit and not use my Sharingan for the time being.

 **Danzo's Pov.**

Now I was curious how good the sister of Uchiha Shisui was. She was the appropriate candidate for the ANBU. If one believed what Kakashi said, she showed no emotions, whether she fought or not. It should also be hard to read. I was curious how she reacted when she was cornered.

Even thought the ANBU-Ne only existed in the underground, I wanted to try to win the girl over. And once her training was over, I'd just have to think about how to awake her Mangekyou Sharingan to see if she was able to use the Kotoamatsukami like her brother. Two more eyes could not hurt.

The fight started and I turned my attention to it. Reluctantly, she did not use her Sharingan. Did she want to hold back? She waited for the first step of her opponent. Her breathing was calm and her body was completely relaxed. She keept her entire environment in view. She was probably adjusting her strategy.

The ANBU attacked and involved her in a Taijutsu fight. She avoided the attacks or blocked them. Her eyes were fixed on all his movements and she seemed to study them. The two jumped apart. The ANBU threw Kunais on her, which she fended off with her Shuriken.

Now it was her who acted first and formed hand seals to perform the jutsu of the great fireball. While the ANBU was busy with the jutsu, she created several clone and hid them in the immediate vicinity. »She used the same strategy on me,« commented the son of Konoha's White Fang, exposing his Sharingan.

When I returned to the combat, the shadow clones were wrapping the ANBU in wire strings while the original Shizuka mingled with her copies and disappeared into a hiding place. A distraction, then. Her opponent freed himself with the help of the body replacement technique and landed on a tree where the Uchiha hid behind it's trunk. Was that coincidence?

»Hiruzen, I think we should add a second opponent. She hasn't showed all her potential yet and I would like to know how she reacts when someone ambushed her and she gets in distress. I agree with Kakashis opinion. Her thinking, acting and her reactions exceed a Genin,« I said. He seemed to think.

»I am against it. Shizuka's opponent already is a elite-ninja. There is no need to go further,« intervened Kakashi. »Go Kakashi. Do not hurt her, just surprise her. I need to know how far she is to decide what's going to happen with her. But I can't if she doesn't show everything,« the Hokage said. A smile crept onto my face as Kakashi bowed his head obediently.

He decided not to use his Sharingan. Before he left, he pulled his headband back in front of his eye. I kept watching the young black-haired girl and was looking forward to her reaction.

 **Shizuka's Pov.**

I had the ANBU where I wanted him. Before I could teleport to the tree, I had to dodge a few shuriken. Something similar I had already thought, after all, Danzo was present and wanted to see everything. I jumped back and activated my Sharingan.

Now I was standing in the middle of the square trying to spot Kakashi while keeping an eye on the ANBU, who was still standing on the tree and watched me. I send one of my clones after him while I dodged Kakashi's attack with a kunai.

I had to manage to pull them both into a Genjutsu at the same time. Good that I already knew Kakashi's movements. I quickly thought about a plan before I let my copy disappear. Slowly I let Kakashi-sensei push me back in the direction of the tree where the ANBU was already waiting. As expected, the unknown guy attacked when he believed that the right time had come. I jumped up and avoided the attack.

Both looked after me. Perfect timing. »Don't look into her eyes,« Kakashi pointed out. The ANBU nodded and both looked at my body. I smiled and stuck a finger forward. The two followed the movement and then froze. Perfect. It never worked on Itachu. He had always foreseen what I had in mind. Since I didn't need my Sharingan for it, I deactivated it and contributed the simple fight illusion.

While I joined the Hokage, the two continued fighting ab invisible opponent. »Genjutsu?« the Hokage asked the obvious. I nodded. »Who are they fighting against?"« the old man asked. »Against me. I've adjusted the situation so they'll just pick up where I pulled out,« I explained, releasing the Jutsu.

Kakashi and the ANBU looked around confused and were surprised that I was not standing where I was in the illusion. The two came to us.

»Maybe we were a little too careless. Your reaction to my intervention was also considerable,« Kakashi-sensei said.

»You were only focusing on my eyes and that was the real mistake. You dont always need the Sharingan to create a Genjutsu. Besides, Kakashi-sensei, it was obvious that you would intervene because I didn't use was Sharingan all the time. It was therefore to be expected that you wanted to put me in distress,« I replied.


	16. Shizuka's decision

**Sasuke's Pov.**

Kakashi was, like yesterday, late but Shizuka still wasn't here yet, which doesn't suit her at all. Normally she was the first to arrive our meeting points. »Good morning you three,« said the Jonin who appeared in front of us.

»You're to late!« called Sakura and Naruto simultaneously. »I had something to do this morning, so please excuse my delay,« he said and scratched his neck. »Sensei Kakashi, Shizuka-chan isn't here yet,« said Naruto. »Oh yeah, about that ... she'll not coming anymore. Our team has now four members, like the other teams,« he said.

»What? Why?! She was the only one who was able to steel the bells from you! Believe it!« Naruto complained. I rolled my eyes, since that was obviously the reason why she wasn't there. »I'm not allowed to tell you why. You have to ask her yourself, even though I doubt that you'll get an answer,« he said and ended up so quietly that it sounded like a murmur and was barely understandable.

»Alright. Now that everyone is here, we'll start the missions for today,« said the silver-haired male. As soon as we had done everything, I would stop by and ask her. If I was lucky, I would get an answer.

 **Shizuka's Pov.**

 **/Half an hour earlier on the trainingsground 5/**

»So Shizuka. Your skills really are impressive, and like Kakashi and Danzo, I think you'd be more bored in a team of beginners and with the missions they will get. Although these missions are important too, you wouldn't learn anything you didn't already know yet,« said the Hokage. »And what should I do then?« I asked.

»We should take her to the ANBU. Even thought she doesn't have any experience with the missions, but at least she _can_ fight. She stays collected and calm in every situation, her reactions and agility are highly pronounced and she seems to be fine to handle her sharingan. She controls her Jutsus perfectly. She is able to think of a strategy in difficult situations and in the shortest possible time. She has a lot of Shisui,« Danzo said. How dare he to mention my brother's name!

»I apologise, Danzo-san, but I can not agree with this idea. Yes, Shizuka is strong and able to fight several strong opponents, but still she is a child, albeit she may not behave like other children of her age. She definitely lacks it Experience for ANBU missions. As such, you must be able to kill when it gets tough. She had to witness the massacre and yet you want her to continue facing the death?« Kakashi asked, making his point more than clear.

Maybe I should also confront Kakashi with the question of what kind of behavior would be normal at my age.My opinion didn't seem to be asked here, because I was not involved in the conversation.

»Kakashi, I can understand your concerns. You've been with the ANBU yourself and with Itachi on a team. You've seen what can become of someone when you're in the ANBU, but I have to agree with Danzo. She has the same talent like her brother and Itachi. She should be given the opportunity to develop and not stand still. She will not get any further in your team,« said the Sandaime. The shoulders of my Sensei sank in defeat.

Well, my opinion really didn't seem to matter. I cleared my throat to get the men's attention. All three turned around. »How about we let Shizuka decide for herself,« the Hokage said with a friendly but embarrassed smile. Che, all of a sudden.

»I would like to join the ANBU. I am aware that they basically take ninja who are already 13 years old. I also know from my brother that Danzo has managed the ANBU-NE, but it doesn't exists anymore. Shisui considered Danzo as a very capable man, who also has a lot of experience. I would suggest to join the ANBU and train for the time being. Of course, only if you would like to take over a large part of my training, Danzo-san,« I said, trying not to throw up while praising Danzo.

This was a great opportunity for me to find out more about this bastard. Maybe I could reveal one or another weakness of the old Shimura. »I wouldn't mind that. With your permission, Hokage-sama, I would like to prepare Shizuka for it,« he said smiling. He was just glad that he had got what he wanted. My former Sensei seemed speechless while the Hokage thought.

»Well, I think the idea is not so bad as to prepare you for future assignments with a team, and I akready have an idea as to which team you'll join. While the team is on a mission, you can use the time and train with Danzo,« the Sandaime decided. I nodded. I didn't expect everything to went so fast.

»Very good. Kakashi, you're going to inform your team that Shizuka is not longer part of Team 7, but keep the reason for yourself,« said the Hokage, dismissing the younger male.

»Danzo, thank you for your assessment. Later you can explain everything with Shizuka,« he said to Danzo. He nodded and disappeared as well.

»Now I'll introduce you to your captain,« he said, smoking his pipe and motioning for me to follow him. He led me into a tower-like building near the Hokage tower. The interior of the building was widely branched, which I would not have suspected from the outside. We ended up in what seemed to be a dressing room.

»Tenzo?« the Hokage asked. A young man appeared in front of us. He didn't seem to be much older than Kakashi. »What can I do for you, Hokage-sama?« asked the addressee. »I would like to introduce the newest member of the team to you,« said the Hokage, pointing to me. I could see the ANBU eyeing me through the eye slits in his mask.

»She is young. Very,« he stated. »She won't join the team on missions yet, but I'd like you to take her to your usual training sessions. She should get to know your team and how to work with it. She'll get her cover name as soon as she is officially a part of your team,« said the Hokage. Tenzo nodded and the Hokage left me alone with him.

»Well, what's your name?« he asked, taking off his mask. »Uchiha Shizuka,« I replied. He showed no reaction to my Clan's name and instructed me to follow him. »The team is currently in the training room. I'll introduce you to everyone,« he said as we walked down the hallways.

I nodded and followed him until he stopped in front of a door. He opened it and entered the room with me. There were five more Ninjas present, who stopped in their actions and now looked to us.


	17. New Team

**Shizuka's Pov.**

»Who is this girl?« a young woman asked. She looked at me curiously.

»This is Shizuka. The Hokage has assigned her to our team today. Because of her age and her lack of experience, she will initially be training only so she can to learn how to work with us,« Tenzo said.

The Ninja looked skeptical, but they nodded.

The woman, who had talked to the captain not even a minute ago, stepped in front of me. She was slim. Her long brown hair ws tied in a high ponytail and her eyes had the colors of emeralds. »Alright Shizuka, I'm Raya. You already know our captain, Tenzo,« she said and smiled. I nodded.

»This is Ame,« she said, pointing to the ANBU standing a few feet from her. Said Ninja had black hair, broad shoulders and was taller than Kakashi. When I saw the scowl on his face, I got goosebumps. »Don't ya worry. He's always scowling, but he's not angry,« said a males voice directly at my ear. As I jumped away from the voice, my hand instinctively grabbed into the pocket on my right thigh.

After creating some distance between the unknown and me, I took a closer look at the stranger. He was slightly taller than Sasuke. A mischievous grin graced his lips and his purple eyes, which contrasted with his white hair, glittered deviously. »Haru,« came Raya's warning voice while the female made her way to me. The boy, who was apparently named Haru, rolled his eyes. »I am not biting her, Raya,« he said, while he kept watching me. »I'm sorry, Shizuka. Haru is our youngest member and ... well ...«

My eyes focused on a thin, lanky boy moving toward Haru. He had blond hair and his eyes were a dark green. Raya followed my gaze. »His name is Katsu. He may look weak, but he's as strong as a bear.« Katsu stopped beside Haru and let his fist fall down on the white haired head while mumbling 'Baka'.

Raya shook her head before turning to me. »Last but not least we have Taku,« she said, pointing her finger at a blue-haired ANBU. I nodded in greeting. »Now tell us something about you!« said the brown-haired girl smiling.

»There isn't much to tell. After escaping the Uchiha massacre, I was on the run, where I acquired some techniques with my Sharingan. Now I am, according to the assessment of Danzo, the Hokage and my former Sensei for none of the Genin-Teams suitable. That's why I'm here. I'll be part of your daily training, and if you're on a mission, I'll use the time for intense training with Danzo,« I rattled down monotonously.

Now you could've heard crickets chirping, if there had been any here.

»You're an Uchiha?« it burst out of Haru. I just nodded. »How did you escape?« Katsu asked. »Luck,« I said with a shrug. »Stop bothering her with those kind of questions. Let's go outside and see what she is capable to do,« Ame suggested, and Tenzo, who hadn't said a word, nodded.

We followed the captain out through a tunnel system to an area with several trainings grounds. »Those are our trainings ground. They are on the edge of the village and only for the ANBU,« explained Tenzo. I nodded.

»Seems like you're not one of the talkative. You also look pretty serious and are totally stiff. Relax a bit, we're not here to drill,« Taku said, patting my shoulder. »I am who I am,« I replied, waiting for Tenzo's instructions.

»Well, since the Hokage has put you in the ANBU, I assume you're not weak. You sure have some strengths, besides your Sharingan,« Tenzo said, looking at me questioningly. »I'm equally good at close- and long-range combat. I know a few Genjutsu and Ninjutsu and I'm pretty good at analysis and armed combat,« I said.

The captain eyed me. »I know that the Hokage has already tested you, yet I would like to see your abilities myself,« he said. I nodded. »Who do you want to fight against?« asked he. »I don't care,« I replied.

»Ame,« Tenzo said. The black-haired man stepped forward and stood up in front of me. Did he want to intimidate me? I raised an eyebrow and looked at him questioningly. He started laughing. »So she has courage,« he said to his comrades. Now I was confused.

»Well then, you can start,« said the captain. He retreated to the edge of the ground with the others.

Like this morning, I was waiting for my opponent to make the first step. It was not long before a few Shuriken flew at me. I activated my Sharingan and attached the Shuriken to a tree with my Kunais.

First, I wanted to know what chakra natures he had, so I formed hand seals and fired a fireball at him. He countered with a waterray and let the ball slowly evaporate, whereupon fog formed around us. A grin crept on my face and I created five doppelgangers. I sent two of them to attack Ame as I sent the other three into the woods to hide. Since not much was to be seen, I had to rely on my hearing. When I heard the clink of weapons, I changed position and shot a couple of Shuriken wrapped in flames.

» _Doton:_ _Doryūheki_ «

I felt the quake before a shadow rose in the fog. I withdrew for the time being and picked a suitable hiding place in the trees until the steam had evaporated. When the view got better, I saw that Ame had defeated my clones. A movement from the right made me come out of hiding. A doppelganger followed me.

I saw the original Ame grin. »Not bad, little one,« he said, and seemed to enjoy this deliciously. »I like to give back,« I said. Two of my clones stepped out of their hiding and took care of the ANBU who was attacking me while I turned to the original.

He came up to me and involved me in a Taijutsu fight. For now I just dodged. He always performed the same movements, so it was easy to calculate. Ame was getting faster and faster in his movements.

I ducked under his next kick and pulled away the leftover leg. He threatened to fall backwards but caught himself and wanted to put some distance between us by taking a few steps backwards. I used my Body Flicker Technique and appeared behind him.

»I think that's enough,« Tenzo said, ending the fight. Ame turned to me. "Really good and skillful," he said, shaking my hand. I took it and the last clone, who was still in the forest, disappeared. The tall black-haired man looked questioningly in the direction of the cloud of smoke. »For my plan B,« I said. He nodded approvingly. »I think you fit in well here, even if you really should relax a bit,« he laughed.

»I think so too. Shizuka, welcome in our team,« said the captain, holding out his hand as well, which I took. »Nene, not so formal,« said Haru. »You could cut a slice off of her,« Raya said, grabbing his ear.

It was strange. It was always said that a ninja should hide the feelings. The troupe here was pretty easy. I watched her with some distance. They stood together and talked, laughing and teasing each other. So I had not really imagined a group of ANBU.

»What's on your mind?« Katsu asked and appeared next to me. »You are so open, your feelings can be read as easily as a book,« I answered irritably. »Yes, we're a little bit weird. Normally it is said that a ninja does not show any feelings, for which you are far ahead of them. But I can't imagine a better team on a mission,« the blond said. I nodded, though I did not really understand.

»Alright. That's it fo today,« said the captain. »Hey Shizuka! Sorry about earlier. To make up for it, I'll take you home,« Haru said. »Thanks, but it's not necessary,« I replied. »Oh, come on. Then we can get to know each other better,« he said, a smile plastered all over his face.

 _ **Doton: Doryūheki - Earth Release: Earth-Style W** **all**_


	18. Do not take your mask off

**Shizuka**

Haru did not refrain from accompanying me home. I just let him do it. He seemed to be a cheerful person. He whistled and grinned all the time.

»Ne, Shizuka?« I looked at him. »Do you even laugh? As Ame said, you look so terribly serious,« he said. »That's how I am. I was educated me to hide my feelings,« I replied. »So you have always been like that?« asked he. »Let's just say, I've always been different,« I answered. That seemed to confuse him but he stayed silent.

»You do not seem to like to talk about yourself,« he said after a few minutes. We entered the Uchiha district. »I've already told you everything you need to know. And besides, my life hasn't been so exciting that I need to go peddle with it,« I retorted.

»I don't think so. Not that with the peddling, but after all, you were on the run for a few years and survived a massacre, so it doesn't seem boring at all,« he said. He didn't seem to mince words. »Don't take that wrong! Of course it was terrible what happened to your Clan. What I meant to say ...,« he started, waving his hands wildly as he understood what he had just said.

»It doesn't matter,« I interrupted. He seemed surprised. »I had no good relationship with my father and the clan after my brother's death, so I don't care,« I said. »I see,« he muttered.

We came to my house. To my surprise, a certain Uchiha sat in the entryway and seemed to be waiting for me. He looked up from his clasped hands as I approached the door. He looked at me first, then at Haru.

»Is that your boyfriend?« Haru asked, wiggling his eyebrows. »What are you doing here?« I asked the Uchiha, ignoring the question asked by Haru. »I wanted to talk to you,« Sasuke replied. »This is probably my sign to disappear. See ya tomorrow and have fun!« said Haru, grinning. I nodded and he disappeared.

Sasuke stood up and made room for me to unlock the door. I stepped in, followed by him, and immediately went in the kitchen. I hadn't had breakfast this morning, so I decided to make some rice balls. They should fill the stomach until supper.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Sasuke sit down at the counter and watch me. »What did you want to discuss with me?« I asked when he didn't bother to start the conversation. »Who was that?« asked he. »Nande?« I asked. »Che. You like to act stupid from time to time, right?« he asked, sounding slightly irritated. »He's nobody special, just a member of my new team,« I replied. He seemed to be in a bad mood.

»What kind is this team?« Did he interrogate me now? »A strange one,« I replied. He snorted. »What's up? Are you sulky?« I asked in amusement. »If you do not want to talk about it, you can say that instead of giving me that weird answers.« »The answers aren't weird. I was tested again this morning and put in another team. Said team is a bit weird, full of good-humored people and the boy who brought me home, wasn't deterred from trying to get to know me better,« I said and offered him a plate.

He looked at me questioningly. »You're guaranteed to be hungry and I can't chew you up. It've made the experience that you will not only stay for five minutes once you've entered this house,« I replied. A little smirked formed on his lips. This village will make me social. I took my plate and sat down opposite him.

»Tell me, how old is this guy?« he asked between bites. »I don't know, I didn't ask him. It doesn't matter anyway,« I answered. »How many are in the team?« So he _did_ interrogated me. »The team consists of seven people with me, but for now I wont go to missions with them, but only train to work with the team. There is another woman. They all have a different age,« I counted and hoped to have answered all the questions.

He nodded and didn't say more. After the small snack, Sasuke made the washing up. What happened to him today? I used the time and went to take a shower. When I was fresh and changed, I sat on the veranda and relaxed. The day was really exhausting in contrast to the last weeks.

»May I ask you something?« the ravenettes voice sounded. »You already did,« I replied and couldn't suppress a yawn. »Shizuka.« »Yeah, ask,« I replied. »Did you activate your Sharingan and have it under control?« asked he. »What makes you think that?« I asked back. Actually, it surprised me that he asked the question now. The whole Clan knew about my training at that time.

»You never could have taken Kakashi by surprise,« he replied. »I may be a girl but I'm not weak like the Haruno,« I grumbled. He looked at me intently. I sighed. »Yes, I did. I surprised Kakashi in the exam with a simple Genjutsu and took the chance to take the bells off him,« I said honestly.

»Then, it's true what Itachi told me about your training back then, that would explain a lot,« he mumbled. That was not really the reaction I expected. »Depends on what he told you,« I replied. I didn't really like the direction of this conversation.

»Itachi told me that your dad emotionally humiliated you for months to activate your Sharingan,« he said. I nodded. »That would also explain your character.« »I was different then, you know, training with my dad just made it stronger,« I explained.

»Maybe. Still, back then you smiled or laughed sometimes, you had fun training,« he said, seeming to reminisce. It surprised me that he seemed to remember me so well. I myself didn't even do it anymore.« »Sasuke?« He looked at me. »Why are you so worried about me?« I mumbled softly.

»Doushite?« he replied in astonishment. »You sit around here all the time, trying to get me involved in conversations. you've brought me home while I was asleep and you're ... almost nice to me,« I said, and the last words sounded like it was a sickness. It interested me all the time.

»We're the only Uchiha who survived the massacre. You know my pain and the feeling of loneliness, you hide that behind a mask like I do. Plus, you're not as annoying as the others, and I believe that my presence does not bother you so much, otherwise you would have kicked me out long ago,« he smirked. »I can still do that if you ininsist,« I threatened. He didn't respond.

»I'm gonna cook before youll putt off your mask and begin to howl. This emotional thing is awful, so let the mask of emotionlessness on before I start pitying you,« I said, standing up. »Am I positive that you stay stay until after dinner?« I said, looking at him questioningly.

He smirked.


	19. Simulations

**Shizuka**

I was on my way to training. Yesterday's conversation with Sasuke was very strange and had also upset me a bit. Quite uncommon for me.

»Good morning, Shizuka-chan!« called a familiar voice. I stopped and looked around. Haru was beaming with joy as he came to me. How could he permanently smile? »Hello,« I retorted and went on as soon as he caught up with me. »Could your boyfriend and you clear everything up yesterday? He didn't look particularly pleased when you arrived,« said the white-haired. »What makes you believe that Sasuke is my bofriend? I'm 12 and the last one who understands anything about this love curd,« I replied.

»Well, after all, he was waiting for you in front of your house. And he eyed me weirdly,« he said. »You're just imagining that. Imagine I would wait for you in front of your house, which will never happen, would that mean we have a relationship?« I asked. He seemed to be thinking. How did he just become a ANBU? »No, but it seemed so,« he said. I shook my head. »Our brothers were friends, that's why Sasuke and I know each other from childhood. Besides, we went to the Academy together for a few weeks,« I told him.

When we got to the headquarters, he opened the door for me. I nodded to him and entered the building. "We always meet in the morning before we go to missions or other things," he told me. I let him take the lead and followed him through the corridors. He stopped in front of a door near the exit to the training grounds and opened it. I went after him and found that we were apparently the last. "Ah, good morning you two. Well, now we can start," greeted us Tenzo.

I briefly bowed my head and sat down to Raya and Ame. »I wanted to do some simulations with you today. For that we'll leave the village and stay in the woods near the village. The purpose of this is to prepare Shizuka for missions and show her what our work is,« he explained. Everyone nodded and smiled encouragingly. »I'm just going to give instructions and watch today. The teamwork with Shizuka will not work right away, but that's what the training is for,« the brown-haired man continued. Again everyone nodded before we rose up.

As the captain had said, we went to the woods on the edge of the village. »Good, we need a target.« Haru volunteered. »Alright. Shizuka, Ame and Raya are Team A. Katsu and Taku form Team B. The goal is to incapacitate Haru and capture him,« Tenzo instructed and handed us headsets. Haru got a head start.

»Excited?« Ame asked. »Why should I? This is a normal simulation and not a real mission,« I replied. Tenzo gave the start signal. I created a Doppelganger and we started the persecution. »What's the doppelganger for?« Raya asked. »For Plan B, if we need one,« Ame told her and looked at me. He seemed to remember my tactics yesterday. I nodded and activated my Sharingan.

After a while of running I stopped when I noticed a movement. »What is it?« Raya asked. »Keep going, but remain in preparedness,« I said. They nodded. My Doppelganger joined them and ran with them instead of me. »Team B?« I asked. »What's up, Shizuka?« Katsu replied. »The target has stopped and hides,« I said, telling them my exact position. I told Team A that they could turn back now. Haru had seen them and my Doppelganger walk by and seemed confident enough to take a break.

I met with Katsu and Taku and we planned our next steps. Katsu gave the signal and the two attacked Haru with their Kunais while I was waiting for my appearance on a tree. Raya and Ame also joined in, putting the young ANBU in distress. They drove him with his back to the tree on which I waited. I whistled and his purple irises were turned towards me. Fascinated, he looked into my Sharingan, which was a big mistake on his part.

»We can tie him up,« I said, looking at the motionless ANBU. Raya made hand seals to perform a Jutsu to tie him up. »You can dissolve the Genjutsu now,« she said with a smile as the Jutsu finished. I sent some of my chakra into Haru's circulation and he woke up. Confused, he looked around before he looked at us. Then the white-haired male realized that he had lost.

»Very good cooperation,« said Tenzo, appearing in front of us. He looked satisfied. »We wouldn't have found him so quickly without our new pair of eyes,« said Katsu, putting his slim but strong hand on my head. All that was missing was that he stroked my hand and said 'good girl' . I wasn't a Nin-Ken.

"You did very well for the first time," Taku praised too. "It was just a simulation," I said. "Exactly, and we'll continue now," the captain said. So we spent the rest of the day until I formed a team with everyone. I wouldn't have thought so, but even with Haru the cooperation went very well. Tenzo finished the training after hours and dismissed us.

»Hey Shizuka. Do you want to eat with us?« Raya asked on the way out. »Another time, I'm going home,« I said and said goodbye. »As you like, see you tomorrow,« said the green-eyed female. I nodded and went on my way.

Finally rest.

Hard to believe that the training had been so lengthy. This was the first time I was exhausted for since a long time. When I arrived home, I freshened up and slipped into comfortable clothes. Then I made myself a snack and sat down with it and a book on the porch.

»You're pretty late.« That was it with the rest. »The training took longer today. There is still some of the food in the kitchen,« I sighed. Why did I actually justify myself? He sounded like a husband waiting for his wife. He came back with a filled plate and sat down but said nothing and let me read.

»Why are you actually here again?« I asked when it became too dark to read and closed the book. »Keeping you company,« he said with a shrug. I raised an eyebrow and looked at him skeptically. »You mean you want to kill your loneliness,« I replied. According to his expression, I had hit the bullseye. Shizuka 1, Sasuke 0. I somehow knew how he felt.

I wrestled with myself before addressing him again. »You can sleep in Shisui's room. There are clothes in his closet. They'll be too big for you, but it should be enough to sleep.« He looked at me wide-eyed. »Don't look like that and don't make it a habit. Owls will get jealous,« I said. »You pity me,« he stated. »Keep dreaming and go to sleep now. The room is on the right next to mine,« I said and went inside.


	20. Four words

_**To all the readers out there: I wish you a Merry Christmas's. Enjoy tis time of the year with your friends, family and relatives. Thanks for reading the story and please write in the comments what you think of it so far.**_ _ **Have fun!**_

 _ **~ Uchiha Ai**_

 _My father stood in front of the seven-year-old Me and looked at her admonishingly. »A ninja never shows any feelings.« The picture blurred and made room for a new one . »You're too weak. A shame for the Uchiha.«_

 _Again the scene changed._

 _»Your brother would be disappointed with you.« The younger Me closed her ears. She did not want to hear all that. Tears ran down the dark-haired girl's cheeks while she shook her head, hysterically. Over and over again I heard her whisper: »I am not weak.«_

 _I was well aware that it was a dream. However, this one was different than the dreams before. Usually, I was always in my child's body, but now it seemed like I was an outsider._

 _T_ _he picture blurred. When my surroundings cleared, we were in our garden again. It was the day I had awakened my Sharingan._

 _»Shisui would be disappointed if he saw your miserable performance,« my father said with a mocking expression. He wanted to attack my emotionally and physically exhausted body again when my brother interposed. »Shisui,« I said, but he didn't hear me. Of course not. That was a dream._ _The voices of the two of them muffled until nothing could be heard and the picture blurred again._

 _My surroundings changed with the next part of my past._ _When I realized where I was, I panicked. I didn't want to see anything more from my past, wanted it to stop, wanted to wake up. But fate apparently played asshole and left me trapped here._

 _I looked at the cliff where my one-eyed brother stood. But this time Itachi was not there. I looked around, but nobody seemed to be there except Shisui and me. He looked at me. I turned around, but there was still no one there. I turned back to the ravenette. His lips formed a gentle smile. That warm smile that he always gave me when I was sad. His eye also radiated the warmth._

 _»Shizuka,« he said, beckoning to me. Confused about this situation, I staggered toward him. When I came closer, he took a step back. I wanted to stop, but my body didn't obey me. I didn't want to see what came now. I really wanted to wake up now._

 _»Don't,« I whispered. But Shisui only smiled and spread his arms. »Don't,« I repeated. My brother fell backwards down the cliff, as so often in my dreams. I leaned over the rocky edge and saw the river drag him along after he had plunged into it._

 _From a distance, I heard someone call my name._ _I turned around, but saw no one. The environment around me darkened. Contrary to my expectation, no new picture came. It just stayed dark. Nothing happened._

 _»Loneliness, darkness, helplessness, sadness,« a female voice known to me breathed again and again. »Okaa-san?« My voice echoed in the darkness. I covered my ears, didn't want to hear that anymore. But the voice did not stop. These words kept reverberating in my head._

 _»Shizuka. Oi Shizuka,_ _samashimasu!«_

 _Sasuke ..._

I started and looked around. It was still dark outside, only the moon shining through the window and bathing my room a in cold, gloomy light. »Shizuka?« I turned my head to the left, where Sasuke was sitting, looking shocked. When I realized what was going on, I got up and fled in the direction of the window. I had to get out of here right now.

»Shizuka ... where are you going?« Sasuke asked, but I had already opened the window and jumped on the window sill. I didn't answer him and jumped outside, where a pleasant coolness enclosed my sweaty body. I ran out of the Uchiha-District. I had to get my head clear.

 **Sasuke**

I was awakened by a restlessness in the next room. I pressed my ear to the wall and tried to hear what was going on, but only noticed a murmur. After a short while, I got up and left the room. I stopped in front of Shizuka's door and knocked softly. There was no answer, only a murmur could be heard again. Quietly, I opened the door a crack and peeked inside. The room was in the nighttime darkness and there was no one to see.

»I am not weak,« I heard Shizuka's voice murmuring from the corner of her sleeping place. So she just dreamed. I was about to leave the room when I heard her mumbling her brother's name. I looked back at her. She rolled back and forth. A nightmare?

I entered the room and stopped in front of her bed. Her face was grimaced and she seemed to be in pain. Beads of sweat were visible in the light of the moon on her forehead. »Don't,« she mumbled. »Shizuka?« I said, shaking her shoulder lightly. She didn't react, but kept mumbling to herself. This time so quiet that I couldn't understand her. Then there was silence.

»Shizuka?« I tried again. »Loneliness, darkness, helplessness, sadness,« she murmured again and again, as if it were a mantra. Her face twisted again into a sharply distorted expression.

»Shizuka. Oi Shizuka, samashimasu!« I said a little louder now. Her mumbling stopped and she woke up, started. Her face reflected horror, fear and sadness.

As if she were in a trance, she looked around her room. »Shizuka?« I asked a bit startled. Her eyes locked with mine and the girl paused for a moment before she jumped as if stung by the tarantula and went to the window. »Shizuka ... where are you going?« I asked in confusion when she opened the window and jumped on its sill. She said nothing, just jumped outside and disappeared.

I had noticed that she had taken off her mask every now and then, but such an emotional Shizuka was terrifying. I went downstairs. I wouldn't be able to sleep anyway. Basically, she felt just like me, though she could hide it a little better.

I thought about the words she had always mumbled in the end of the dream. Loneliness, darkness, helplessness and sadness. These four words, described the feelings in us best. These were the words that shaped our life so far.

 _ **Samashimasu**_ _ **\- wake up**_


	21. Sai

_**To @theriku260: Not really but I try to update at least every weekend.**_

 _ **To @Dom2040: Thanks.**_

 _ **To the gast reader that thinks I've forgot the 'not' in my description of Shizuka: If you believe**_ _ **that, I'm afraid this isn't a story for you. I'm very sorry if I destroy your little dream bubble, but not every girl is like Sakura.**_

 _ **And to all the silent readers out there: Thanks for reading the story.**_ _**Please write in the comments what you think so far. But if you're going to write some mean things, please don't.**_

I was on my way to the headquarters. When I got home this morning, Sasuke was already gone. Better this way. Something like that was never allowed to happen again. I had to get myself back under control urgently.

»Shizuka?« I turned around. »Your team is on a mission. Danzo-sama is waiting for you in the academy,« said an ANBU. I snorted as I heard Danzo being dubbed by the ANBU. I studied the shinobi. Judging by his voice and size, he was still quite young. Due to his mask, I couldn't see his face, but his skin almost seemed white, which definitely didn't look healthy.

Instead of disappearing after the message was delivered, he followed me as I changed direction. I stopped halfway and looked at him questioningly.

»I am supposed to go with you,« he replied monotonously. Why did I always have to be accompanied? I sighed and moved on. When we reached the academy, Danzo was already waiting in front of the entrance. »Good morning, Shizuka,« he said and smiled. I had to try not to punch his ugly mug. He could put his sneaky smile somewhere else. I briefly bowed my head and followed him inside. The ANBU was still close behind me.

Danzo led us into a small room and motioned for me to sit down. "You can take off your mask now," he said to the ANBU. The boy followed his instructions and removed the mask. I was amazed that he didn't seem much older than me. His black hair fell partially into his face and his equally black eyes were focused on Danzo.

»Shizuka, this is Sai. From today on, he will be your partner when we train. Plus, he will accompany you on the days of your training and answer any questions you have. With Hiruzen-sama's approval, you will do missions together from time to time, so you should get used to each other,« he said.

»I'm happy to meet you,« he said with a fake smile. »If you could repeat that with a sincere smile, I'd buy it from you,« I said dryly, turning back to Danzo. He told Sai to sit down next to me. »We'll start with the simple theory, I'll explain the ANBU system today,« Danzo started.

»The ANBU, in the case of Konohagakure, is divided into seven divisions, each of which has its own style, and each department of the ANBU is able to learn the universal ANBU techniques, including detailed knowledge of the human body and Jutsus, such as the temporary paralysis and time reversal techniques. Before you become an ANBU member, you have to select the department you want to go to. In my case it was decided by the Hokage. Each department has its own type of mask, which has the shape of an animal. To become an ANBU is difficult because you have to be able to apply Ninjutsu, Genjutsu and Taijutsu alike. Anyone who is unable to be versatile, think and act spontaneously can't join the ANBU. Therefore, there is hardly a Ninja in the unit that only masters one style of art. This happens only in the rarest cases. Now we come to the divisions. First, the Falcon-Division. She specializes in the hunting and destruction of enemy ninja. They are the ones who are considered hunting ninja.« I interjected.

»Second, the Owl-Division. Members of the Owl-Division are known for their skills as a reconnaissance division. These members are experts in gathering information without being captured. The members are able to go to a village, find what they need, and disappear again without anyone knowing they were there. This division supports others, but nobody supports them. Third, the Bear-Division. The members specialize in protection and investigation. They are known for their defense and investigation skills. There are no secrets that the Bear-Division can't find. The village is like a child for this type of ANBU. And a bear will fight and protect its cub.« I paused for a brief moment before I talked again. »The Cat-Division. This division specializes in assassinations. They comes out and show their power through stealth and quick killing. If someone needs to be eliminated, then the division called for. The division must be able to get in and out without being caught or noticed. This is solely to ensure that it's not recognized which village has carried out the attack.«

»Then there's the Frog-Division. They specialize in crisis and medicine. In essence, it's nothing but ANBU with pronounced medical knowledge. They're intended as support and able to move quickly with their and to heal those who need help. These ANBU's can heal as well as inflict damage should they be attacked as well. The penultimate division is the Wolf-Division. This department specializes in torture and interrogation. If there is information needed by all means necessary, this division is the right department to get it. They specialize in human anatomy, as in the frog department, but not to heal, but to harm. Last but not least, the Dragon-Division. The Dragon-Division specializes in organizing and collecting. Those who are team leaders in the division are those who oversee the rest of the ANBU-Team. They seek allies, plan and make the necessary decisions. They are sometimes also sent as ambassadors from village to village. The reasons are that it is best to have someone who can defend him- or herself and return safely to the village. The Dragon-Division specializes in moral skills. They believe words and language are capable of making combatants stronger in battle or shaking them with fear.« I stopped, then I decided that it wouldn't hurt to continue.

»A few years ago, there was an eighth division. The ANBU-NE, also known as Root. It was a special branch of the ANBU. This was founded and managed by you. Why it no longer exists, I don't know. I can't say exactly what the duties of this unit were, but I assume that it was a village security force,« I finished my recital.

I was grateful to Itachi for explaining the system to me at the time, so I could seem to start the dry lessons with Danzo. I did not know if it was often, but it seemed speechless. Sai also studied me closely.

»How do you know all of this? Your brother was with the Anbu, but I doubt that he explained to a child how the system is organized,« Danzo demanded to know, mistrust in his voice. »My dad beat it into me more or less during our training,« I lied. The adult seemed to think for a moment and then nodded.

»Well, I didn't plan anything for today. As I assumed this would take longer and I'm amazed at the knowledge you have. Next time, we'll go into the practical,« he said, dismissing us.


	22. Reunion with a Shark

It was way too early to go home, so I set off to Trainings ground 3, followed by my new tag, which followed Danzo's instructions like a command.

»What do you want here?« Sai asked when we arrived. »Nothing special,« I retorted and sat down by the lake to enjoy the sun. I laid back, crossed my arms behind my head and closed my eyes. Due to last night I was pretty tired and didn't want to do anything today. »If you're tired, shouldn't you go home?« asked he. »The lesson is over. You can go home if you don't like it here,« I answered.

»But Danzo-sama ...,« he started. »Yeah, I know what he said. After all, I'm not deaf. But I have no questions at the moment. I also don't need to get used to you, I can work with you like that. We'll fight each other at least once before we do missions. That's enough to know what your skills are,« I said.

»You don't seem to like company bery much,« he stated. »You're right. So be quiet at least, if you don't want to go,« I said, taking a deep breath before finally relaxing. Sai actually didn't say anything. A rustle told me he was busy with something else.

I enjoyed the warm wind that touched my skin. The cawing of a crow made me smile. Itachi's favorite animal made its rounds over the village again.

I took the time to think about last night. That Sasuke had seen me in this condition didn't suit me at all. But it had happened now and I couldn't change it anymore. Just why had I softened when I saw his eyes and let him sleep with me? Yes, it was my fault he looked that way, but otherwise I didn't care.

I don't know how long I've been lying here, but I decided to open my eyes again and sat up. Sai was still there, though I guessed he would disappear if I didn't do anything. He was sitting next to me scribbling on the paper on his lap. »Shizuka,« called a voice. »See you, Sai,« I said, getting up and walked over to Sasuke, who was standing at a distance. His presence was dearer to me than Sai's. I didn't know the pale boy's relationship with Danzo, but I certainly did not trust him.

Silently, the Uchiha went with me through the village, where I stopped at some of the shops and bought groceries I needed. »Do you want to talk about it?« Sasuke asked cautiously as we entered the Uchiha-District. »I don't know what you're talking about,« I replied. He seemed to understand, for he left it at that. Halfway we parted and walked different directions.

Once home, I put the groceries in their places before I started making a snack. Like yesterday I sat on the Engawa. The sky slowly turned red and the air cooled off a bit.

With a croak, a crow that landed in front of me, caught my eye. »Well, are you stalking me again?« I asked in amusement, throwing some bread crumbs on the floor. The black bird moved its head from one side to the other side to understand the foreign objects. Suspiciously, it pecked at the crumbs and apparently understood that it could eat the bread. Greedy the crow devoured everything. »Someone seems to be hungry,« I laughed softly and broke the rest of the bread into beak-sized pieces and tossed it one by one. When the crow was full, it flew away again.

I got up and wanted to bring my plate in, as a loud whistle could be heard. I stopped in my tracks. I knew this kind of whistling. After I put the plate away, I ran through the garden, jumped over the fence and also gave a whistle sound. It wasn't long before I got the answer. I changed direction and ran into an forest. In a clearing I saw him standing. »So you've recognized me,« he said cheekily, grinning. »Kisame!« I cried, darting towards him and hopping him into his arms. »Whoa, you are stormy,« he laughed and dropped me off. »How's my best friend?« asked he. »Alright, are you alone here?« I asked, looking around before my gaze returned to the human shark or shark human. He nodded.

»You realize it's dangerous to show up here?« I asked. »Dont worry about me. I'll be fine,« he said. »Does Itachi know you're here?« I asked. »Yes, he knows, he seemed a bit worried about you and so I offered to look after you,« he replied. »Wow. Someone might actually think that you're a nice guy,« I said teasingly. »You know that I'm just nice to you,« he said, ruffling my hair as he grinned crookedly. »Why do you guys always do that? Itachi does that all the time,« I complained and straightened my hair. He shrugged his shoulders.

We sat down on the floor and talked. He told me what the other freaks were up to and I told him about my new job as ANBU. I didn't miss that with Danzo out.

»Be careful with that bastard,« he warned. »I'm not a child anymore. Besides, I can see if he has any weaknesses that I can use for myself,« I replied. »The only thing he apparently has a weakness for are Uchiha-Eyes,« he snorted. He was one of the few people who knew about my story. Itachi had told him the rough version. And about the detailed Version, we had fought. I moved the shorter one then. I didnt suspect it, but Kisame is damned strong and had lots of chakra reserves that y somebody could easily be jealous about. He also had his sword Samehada, of which I didn't know back then and that he used it against me.

He might be brutal and bloodthirsty to his opponents, but he liked me from the first day, which was probably because I didn't shy away. Also, I was positives that he had a little weakness for Uchiha, which of course he denied. At the beginning, I ignored him and didn't like him because he got on my nerves. It didn't really suit him that I paid him no attention. At some point, for whatever reason, we ended up in a fight. After this fight, our relationship changed and since then he always called mehis best friend. He only did that when the others were absent.

I snorted. »Most Kids are scared of the dark or the bogeyman. Uchiha-Kids are afraid of some strangers who would try to cut our eyes out,« I mumbled. He only nodded. We were silent for a while. »Oi.« I looked to him. »Am I wrong or have your facial features softened?« asked he. »Life here softens. Maybe you can persuade Itachi to take me back,« I sighed. »I've already tried, little girl. I'm sorry, but you know how he is. You bite on granite,« he retorted. I groaned exasperated.


	23. Aisu

_**2019! I wish you all a happy year!**_

A few weeks passed. My new team had no mission in the last few days, so I could continue training with them. Sasuke and his team were currently on an mission abroad. How did I know that? The raven-haired boy hadn't visited me for three days. But Haru got used to picking me up every morning. So today too.

We were on our way to the headquarters when Tenzo appeared in front of us. »Shizuka, come with me. Meanwhile Haru can go to the headquarters,« he said. Haru said goodbye smiling and disappeared. »What is it, Captain?« I asked. »The Hokage and I want to talk to you, it will not be long,« he said. I nodded and we left. »Do you like your new Team?« he started a conversation. I nodded. Even though the team was weird, the training was fun. I was curious to see how they behaved on a mission. Tenzo thought very much of them.

»I think you've integrated yourself well and work very good with each one,« he praised. »The team made the collaboration pretty easy for me and having them copy me their Jutsu's has advanced me,« I retorted. »I am amazed that they have taken you in their midst so quickly. But it shows me that they respect your skills and believe that you're right with us. I'm counting on that as well and I'm curious how your first mission eill go,« he said as we entered the Hokage office. »I won't disappoint your confidence in me,« I assured before stopping at the door on the upper floor and knocking. The Hokage invited us in. Tenzo opened the door and entered, followed by me.

A smile played on the Sandaime's lips when he saw me. »Nice of you to come so soon,« he said. We bowed briefly before looking back at him. »According to the reports, you have settled in very well with your new team, and I heard that you are in very good harmony with each other. Danzo was surprised by your theoretical knowledge of the ANBU system. He has also praised the skills you have shown in the practice exercises against Sai. I have come to the conclusion that you are ready to officially join Team Ro,« he announced. »Team Ro?« I asked with raised eyebrows. »That's what the Team was called earlier. I'm the Team's third captain since joining,« Tenzo told me. I nodded understandingly.

»Under which pseudonym should she join?« Tenzo asked the Hokage. »Aisu,« answered the old man. »Ice?« I asked. »I thought it suited your character,« he said, smiling. If he knew what I do sometimes, he wouldn't have said that. »I think it fits too. Besides, ice still can thaw, right?« Tenzo asked with a wink and hinted at my behavior towards the Team. Although we were good at working together, I still didn't feel it necessary to have interpersonal contact with them. The team didn't give up though, and for this they had my admiration.

I rolled my eyes. »Well, I don't want to stop you,« said the Sarutobi, dismissing us. Tenzo gave me a signal and with the of the Body FlickerTechnique we disappeared and reappeared in front of the headquarters. »Well then, congratulations on your official record and your pseudonym. As you already know, you only need to use it when we are on a miss as ANBU. I hope you've memorized the pseudonyms of the others,« he said. I nodded. »Why don't you have one?« I asked. »Tenzo is my pseudonym,« he explained. I preferred not to ask why he did not use his real name. Who knew what kind of story came out of it.

He led me into the locker room and stopped in front of one of the lockers. »That's your locker from now on. The equipment in it would have to fit. Change your clothes and then come into the meeting room,« he said and disappeared. Unlike the others, I had always trained with my normal clothes, which had cost me some of them. I opened the cupboard and took out my new uniform and equipment. I put on the black pants and the sleeveless black shirt and slipped into the black ninja sandals. Then I put my metal arm guards over my black gauntlets and put on the fingerless gloves. The gray flak jacket, which gave me enough freedom of movement for my arms and shoulders, sat like a second skin. Finally, I strapped the Tantō on my back and tied my cat mask with light gray ornaments to my belt. I tied my hair into a high ponytail, but left two strands outside to frame my face.

I left the room and made my way to the meeting room. I knocked briefly and then entered. All eyes were on me, which was more than unpleasant. »It's about time!« Raya exclaimed radiantly and hugged me thight. My body tensed immediately. I found close physical contact, except for Itachi and Kisame, not particularly intoxicating.

»You look good little one,« said Ame, standing next to the green-eyed female with a grin. »I totally agree with you,« said Haru, grinning as well. »Raya, let her go. She'll run away,« Katsu said, gently pulling her away from me, for which I was extremely grateful. Taku was the next to address his word to me. »Under what pseudonym will you work with us?« asked he. »Aisu,« I replied. »That fits, like a fist on the eye,« said Raya and clapped her hands in delight, while the others nodded in agreement. I left them believing that I was a block of ice and we started our training.

We simulated a few missions so everyone would get used to using my new name. In the evening Haru brought me home again. I had told him a few times that it really was not necessary, but I was talking against a wall. At least he was silent most of the way, but his whistling and eternal grinning wasn't less annoying. But his grin was at least honest unlike Sai's. That the pale one hadn't gotten a cramp in the jaw from this false smile, I found most remarkable.

»See ya tomorrow then,« Haru said goodbye and disappeared. »All weird birds here in the village,« I mumbled and went into the house.


	24. First mission

**_To @AngelAmongTheStars: Thanks, I guess. I knew it's no excuse but I'm new on so I don't know how everything_ _works yet. And I'm from Germany, means that English is not my mother tongue. I'm working on making the text shorter, okay? About the quotation marks, I do use them. But maybe they aren't visible for the you. I mean if the marks wouldn't be there, the other readers would have told, right? And about the paragraphs when somebody talks ... In the beginning I did paragraphs but it looked odd to me and it confused me. That's why I don't do it._**

»Good morning, Shizuka!« Haru greeted me with his fixed grin. »Morning,« I said, slipping past him to make my way to the daily training. »As friendly as ever,« he commented on my actions and closed in on me. »I already told you that you don't have to pick me up,« I said. »But I want to. Besides, we can make your boyfriend a bit jealous. Then maybe he'll strives more,« he said, winking at me. He'd been teasing me for days now.

»Sasuke is not my boyfriend, he is an old acquaintance. But I could also tell that a wall and it would it understand earlier,« I sighed. »Where is he, anyway? I have not seen him for some time,« he asked with interest. »No idea. Probably outside the village on some random mission,« I said with a shrug, glad when we arrived at the headquarters.

We went our separate ways, due to the fact that women and men changed separately. I took a little extra time before going to the meeting room. Once there, I realized that Raya was missing. Even the captain was not there yet, which was unusual, because he was always the first. The others seemed just as confused as me. Haru opened his mouth to speak when Tenzo appeared. »Get ready, I'm expecting you in no time at Hokage-sama's office,« he said before he disappeared again.

We checked our equipment one more time and teleported to the Hokage office. I thought it was rather rude, but apparently the ANBU had the privilege of putting aside courtesies. »We are complete,« said the captain unnecessarily.

The Hokage nodded. »As you've surely noticed, Raya is missing,« he began, pronouncing the obvious. I wanted to roll my eyes, because we wouldn't be here if everything was alright with her. I didn't do it though and continued to listen. »I sent her on a one-man mission yesterday. Another Team saw her being attacked and wanted to intervene, but for some unknown reason, they were suddenly gone,« he said. »What was her mission?« the captain asked. »She was supposed to find Orochimaru's hideout. I got some hints and sent her to go after them.«

Congratulation. I had just missed this stupid snakeface. I never liked him much and was happy after he left Akatsuki. He actually asked Itachi if he could borrow me. As if I were an object that you just passed on. Itachi explained to me afterwards that Orochimaru wanted to have me as a vessel. I didn't understand it back then. Today I knew that he wanted my body. In retrospect, I found that really perverted. After all, he was a man and wanted a woman's body. I shuddered at the thought of this Freak being in my body.

I noticed that Tenzo tensed while the rest gasped. Although I didn't like Raya's way of hugging me and calling me cute, she was still part of the Team. Besides, nobody deserves to end up as Orochimaru's experiment. »I think your job is clear,« the old man said, we answered with a nod. He handed Tenzo a file and we met again in the meeting room.

»That won't be easy. Finding Orochimaru's hideout is difficult, otherwise he wouldn't be free,« said our captain. I feverishly thought in which of the hideouts the snake might be. He had at least three. But those were only the ones I knew about. »Shizuka?« »Hn?« I looked to Tenzo. »I've asked if you believe you could handle the mission,« he repeated his question, which I didn't seem to have heard. »You wouldn't have taken me into the group if you said there was a task here that would be too difficult for me,« I replied and stood up. The captain nodded and we put our masks on.

I noticed only now that the mood of the other members had changed. They were pretty tense and serious. So that's what Tenzo meant. »Always stay near me,« Ame said to me, coming to my side. Good that he couldn't see my expression. It was a mixture of surprise and annoyance. I'm sure he looked really stupid. »Not that I don't trust your abilities and your judgment, but it's your first mission after all. I just don't want you to get lost,« he said, as if he could have seen my face. I nodded to him and we left.

»Aisu, I need you at the head of the team,« Tenzo said after we arrived in the woods of the Land of Fire. I jumped to him and activated my Sharingan to scout the area. Since nothing was visible, I simply led them in the direction of one of the hideouts. I knew they were never guarded, so I wasn't worried for now. My eyes would warn me in time.

Just before the hideout, I made out a move. »Get down!« I yelled just in time, before we were shot at by Kunais and nearly got pierced. I looked in all directions. I couldn't find a person with chakra anywhere. I was also sure that we had not triggered any traps. »What do you see?« Ame whispered, standing close behind me. »Nothing, that's the thing. The others are close by,« I said, pointing in the directions they were standing. They watched like me, the environment. »What has he come up with,« I muttered to myself. »What?« I shook my head. »Nothing, just don't let your guard down,« I said, sneaking through the undergrowth. I headed in the direction of the captain who was closest to us. His eyes fixed on me as I stepped out of the bushes behind him. I shook my head to say that I couldn't find it.

I found it really strange that it apparently stayed with this one attack. Orochimaru probably had bred some creature that had no chakra flow and spurred it on uninvited guests. But why only one attack? If it had been a living being, our secrecy is of no use anyway, because the creature would have guaranteed him a report. Tenzo gave us the sign to keep walking. Haru and Katsu joined us.

I was about to jump to the next branch as something snaked around my leg and pulled me towards the ground.


	25. Deal

_**"Taemasu" is Ame's pseudonym and means "Bear". Please comment!**_

 _ **~ Uchiha Ai**_

I felt like a tug of War and felt like my limbs were being pulled out every moment. »Taemasu, let go,« I pressed through clenched teeth. Ame lived up to his pseudonym. »No way,« he said. I looked down at myself and stuck to the slippery pink thing that had wrapped my leg. »I'm sorry,« I said, looking in his eyes. He let go and I hit the ground with full force. The air was squeezed out of my lungs and I gasped.

After struggling to get up, I looked around. »I didn't think we would see each other again so soon, Shizuka-chan,« Orochimaru's voice murmured close to my ear. »Keep your spit with you and let's go in there before the others come up with the idea of attacking you,« I retorted, wiping my head demonstratively. He opened a tunnel that led to the underground hiding place. »Someone has retrofitted in recent years,« I stated. No wonder he had appeared so unexpectedly. He was and was just a snake. Insidious through and through.

»So you landed at the ANBU. I did not expect anything else from a Uchiha,« he said, grinning. »Let's get to the point. What do you want from the Kunoichi you captured?« I asked, following him through the corridors. »Nothing. She was snooping and almost discovered my hiding place,« he said and stopped in front of one of the doors. He opened it and let me go first. I looked at him suspiciously.

»Do not worry, you're too valuable to me to hurt you somehow,« he said. »I'm less sure about that,« I muttered, entering the room. Everything here was reminiscent of a kind of laboratory. But there was little to recognize because of the chaos that prevailed here. »You can take off the mask,« he said. I removed the mask and tied it to my belt before turning to face it. »So what do you want from me?« I asked. »The same as 5 years ago,« he retorted.

»Don't you find it weird to want to live in a woman's body?« I asked, raising an eyebrow. »I never wanted you as a vessel, I want your blood. Itachi just assumed that I wanted to use you as a vessel,« he said. »So I'm supposed to serve you as an experiment. Do you really think I'll just agree with that?« I asked. »That's why you're here. I want to negotiate with you,« he said. »Either you're acting stupid or you really are. I'm not negotiating with you,« I said. »Maybe you think it over again when I tell you that I'm going to get Sasuke-kun. I know that you promised Itachi to take care of him. I'm just wondering how you want to do that, if he's coming to me and you are in Konoha?« asked he.

»Treacherous snake,« I hissed. But he was right. I had promised Itachi to pay attention to Sasuke and I never broke a promise. But I had also made a promise to me. So the whole thing got in the way of my plans with Danzo. » What's holding you back?« »It's none of your business. I have to think,« I said. »Maybe I can help you,« he tried. »Do you have information about Shimura Danzo?« I asked. He nodded. Maybe I could prepare for the fight with Danzo and look after Sasuke. »I want every record you have about him. You don't harm Itachi's brother and he won't be dream vessel,« I demanded. »If I can use your and his blood, I don't need him as a vessel,« he said. I didn't want to know what he wanted to do with it.

»Deal?« I asked, holding out my hand. »Deal,« he said, taking my hand, turning it over, pulling up the gauntlet and burying his teeth in my wrist. »What the?! Keep your salivary teeth with you!« I hissed as a stabbing pain passed through my arm. A grin ruffled his lips as he let go of me. »Normally, you make a deal with a handshake and not like something like that,« I pressed out, pointing to the mark that formed where his teeth were. »That's my guarantee,« he said, still triumphantly grinning.

»Release the kunoichi now,« I said, pulling out a kunai and starting inflicting a few injuries on my arms. My team would not believe me that I would get out of here without any injuries. He threw the key to me. »The next corridor left, then right, and the fourth door on the left. I've manipulated her memory a bit, so do t be surprised if she's a little confused. You should hurry, that's what a real escape looks like.« »As you wish,« I said, casting the same Genjutsu on him as Itachi did in the past. »I hope that looks real enough. See you, snake,« I said and disappeared. I ran down the hallways, ignoring the throbbing pain in my wrist.

Arriving at the door, I put my mask back on and made sure that the mark on my wrist was guaranteed not to see. I unlocked the door and saw Raya, leaning against the wall and sitting on the floor. I ran to her. »Raya,« I whispered. She raised her head and looked into my Sharingan. »Shizuka?« she whispered back. I put my index finger on the mask where my lips would have been. She nodded and I helped her get up. »Where are we?« she asked confused. »I'll tell you later, let's just get out of here. Can you go?« I asked. The brunette nodded. I signaled for her to follow me and ran through the corridors. Raya kept falling back and so I supported her and led her to the tunnel through which I had come in here. My arm made a problem for me and the feeling of numbness slowly spread.

»Aisu!« I heard Tenzo's voice behind me. I turned around. The whole team was there. »How did you do that?« Katsu asked and came up to take Raya and supported her as she looked really weak and exhausted. »I'll explain it later to you. We should take her back to Konoha now,« I said, pointing to Raya. The others nodded and we left. I kept falling back and had to pull myself together so I wouldn't get hung up. Ame seemed to notice that and waited for me. »Everything okay?« he asked. »Just a little exhausted,« I replied. Without questioning and without warning, he swung me on his back as if I weighed nothing. »It's alright, I can walk on my own,« I protested. »No arguing. You got Raya out of there and got some injuries in. You should get some rest,« he said and just kept walking. If he would knew about the deal with Orochimaru, Ame would surely not do this.


	26. Too close

Once in Konoha, Raya was taken to the hospital. Since I had taken care not to cut too deeply in my self-inflicted injuries, I insisted on coming back to headquarters with the others. After some discussion, Tenzo agreed. Of course only on the condition that, once he arrived there, he himself makes sure that the injuries were as harmless as I said.

»Are you going to tell us how you got Raya out of there?« asked Ame, after lecturing me on a sermon on how unreasonable it had been to pull him into a genjutsu just to get into the enemy's hideout. »I went with Orochimaru. He then took me to the room where Raya was located. I tried to pull him into a Genjutsu whereupon he attacked me. When I made it I grabbed the keys and freed Raya,« I said with a shrug. »That was a great achievement. Although I have to agree with Ame, it was really unreasonable and dangerous to do it alone,« Taku said. If they knew.

»Everything's gone well. Are we done now? I'd like to go home now, I'm tired,« I said. »I'll accompany you just to make sure you arrive safely,« Ame said, looking a little worried. Since I currently preferred him as Haru, I agreed silently nodding. The way home was quiet. »I didn't know you were living in the Uchiha-District,« he mumbled and looked around as we reached the said District.

My right arm was still pulsating with pain and I was glad when I got home. »You live here all alone?« he asked in surprise as we stopped in front of my home. I just nodded. »Do you need any help or are you fine on your own?« he asked, eyeing me. »I'll be fine. Thanks for bringing,« I said. »You should first cure yourself before you go back to training. You look a little pale,« he said. »It'll be find. See you tomorrow,« I said and disappeared into the interior of my house. When I closed the door, I slid down on it until I reached the bottom.

I pulled up my gauntlet and looked at the black mark that the snake had missed me. The skin around it was red and burned like fire. Orochimaru would definitely get that back. I scrambled back up and changed my clothes before I took care of my injuries. Tired, I flopped onto the veranda and looked at nothing specific.

»Oi.«

I jumped out of my thoughts and looked into the onyx-colored eyes of Sasuke. »What do you want?« I asked. He sat down and looked at me. I unobtrusively adjusted my gauntlets to make sure that the mark wasn't visible. »What happened?« he asked, ignoring my question. »Nothing special. I had a little altercation with a kunai,« I replied. He frowned. »You shouldn't do that. You'll screw up your flawless face. Did you know that wrinkle ...«

I didn't get any further because the Uchiha pushed my pony away with his hand and put his forehead against mine. Every muscle in my body tensed up and got an oppressive feeling from that closeness. »That's to close. Way too close,« I said when I caught myself and pushed him back. He blinked a few times until he realized what he had just done. He turned his head to the side and I could be was wrong, but I swear I saw a light blush around his nose. Fine. That should be uncomfortable for him. He couldn't just approach me like that. He knew that I didn't like it.

»You seem to get a fever,« he mumbled. I put my hand to my forehead. In fact, I had some temperature, but not so much that it worried me. One night rest and it would be gone again. »I'm fine, just a little tired,« I said, leaning my back against the wooden floor of the veranda. »Do you got that from training or a mission?« asked he. »Doesn't matter,« I mumbled, closing my eyes. He apparently understood that the conversation was over for me.

I gripped my throbbing wrist and rubbed it lightly over and over, as if I could rub away the pain. Somehow I had to be able to distract myself from it. »How was the mission,« I asked, looking into Sasuke's surprised face. It took him a while to answer. »It turned out that the C-ranked mission isn't really one. We had to fight a guy named Zabuza.«

»Momochi Zabuza?« I checked. He nodded. »The Demon of the Hidden Mist. You can be glad you came out of it,« I said. Zabuza was strong and merciless. Kisame had once told me about him. Like himself, Zabuza was one of Kirigakure's Seven Ninja Swordsmen, and owned, like the Hoshigaki, a special sword. »Did you know him?« asked Itachi's brother. »You hear a lot about the world when you travel across the country,« I replied.

»I got my Sharingan under control in the fight.« I looked at him. »Congratulations. Now it's getting really hard. Training the Sharingan on his perfection is everything, but not easy,« I said, knowing what I was talking about. He nodded. »How many Tomoe do you have?« I asked. He activated it. »Two different stages. Just like me back then,« I muttered. »Which stages?« the boy asked. »One and two. You should use the Sharingan more now to improve it,« I replied. »How many Tomoe did you start with?« »Two and three. While my left eye was already fully developed, my right eye had two,« I answered.

He seemed to struggle with himself. I knew what he wanted to ask and amused myself a little about his pride. »Could you ... could you show me some how to perfect it?« he finally asked. His expression told me he didn't really like it. Either that or he believed in a drain on my part and was annoyed that he had even asked.

»I can,« I replied. »But?« he checked. »Not today. I'm tired and I'm going to bed now. Morning is training again,« I said, getting up. If I went with him to Orochimaru, at least he had to be able to do something. I preferred an opponent with a perfected Sharingan. I didn't want to be bored in the long run. »I see how I'm doing tomorrow, then I decide when we start,« I said. »Thank you Shizuka,« he said, getting up too. »I believe you're not as cold as you always act,« he said, cheekily grinning, and vanished.

»Dear Sasuke ... look forward to the training,« I mumbled, before I went back in where I immediately went into my soft bed due to lack of appetite.


	27. Besides

The sun shone mercilessly through my window and woke me up. A glance at the clock told me that I was far too late. I got up hastily and looked out of the window. Haru was not there. He was always so obtrusive and stood in front of the house until I finally came out. I hurried to the bathroom and got ready. My uniform lays here, so I quickly slipped in and ran across the rooftops of Konoha to the headquarters. Panting, I stopped in front of the building. My stamina left a lot to be desired today. I lost no time and ran straight to the training grounds. My team cavorted on one of them. Raya also seemed to have been released.

I jumped beside the captain, who looked at me bewildered. »What are you doing here?« he asked in confusion. »I didn't hear that we had a free day today and the others are training as well,« I replied and nodded towards the team. He studied me extensively. »You're not going to train today,« he said finally, » Is there a reason why?« I asked confused. »You don't seem to have fully recovered yet, and I won't risk injuring you or becoming ill. You need to be fit for the next mission if one comes,« he retorted. I was about to protest, but he shook his head. »You have two options now: either you go home or you put yourself in the next shade and watch the training.« I chose the second option and sat down on the next tree.

The night wasn't really intoxicating. The pain in my wrist subsided only in the early morning. Now it was a bit throbing, but I didn't have any problems. I pulled up the black gauntlet. The redness was almost completely gone and the burning was now rather a tingling. I covered the mark again and watched the other during training. The warmth of the sun and the wind made me tired. I leaned against the trunk, closed my eyes and listened to the rustle of leaves.

»Hey Shizuka!« I was taken out of my twilight state. I opened my eyes and almost fell off the branch because Raya was so close to me. She laughed. »What are you doing here? Tenzo said you had a day off,« she asked. »He didn't told me about it. I thought I was fine enough, and when I got here, the captain gave me the choice to go home or sit here watching the training,« I explained. »But it looked like you were asleep ... oh well. Actually, I'm just up here to thank you,« she said, looking a bit embarrassed. » It's alright. You're part of the team after all,« I waved away. »The others told me what you did. I feel a little guilty about you being in that condition because of me,« she said, looking at her comrades. »You don't have to feel guilty. It could have happened to anyone else. The injuries are not that bad, I've just been exhausted since yesterday,« I said, smiling slightly to reassure her. The brunette was startled. »You really have to be sick if you try to calm me down with a smile,« she said and placed her hand on my forehead. How you do it, you apparently do it wrong. »You feel a little warm,« she said, looking at me. »I was yesterday too. But it's not so bad that I have to stay in bed.«

»Captain?« she called. I sighed. Tenzo stepped under the tree and looked up at us. »Shizuka has a little temperature and with your permission I'll bring her home.« He nodded in agreement. I jumped off the tree, closely followed by Raya. »I don't want to see you back in training until you're fully recovered,« he said to me. »It's really not that bad-« »Do not worry, I'll take care of her,« Raya said with a grin, pushing me inside the headquarters and straight into the dressing room.

As soon as we changed our clothes, we walked through the streets of the leaf. »Do you have enough food at home?« she asked. I shook my head. »Well then come with me,« she said, beginning to buy all sorts of groceries. »It really isn't necessary, Raya. I'll be fine,« I said as she walked through the Uchiha-District with two heavy bags beside me. »See it as compensation for the salvation.« »The others helped too,« I explained. »I have already invited them to dinner yesterday,« she smiled and went on.

We came to my house. I unlocked the door and let it in. »Where is the kitchen?« she asked, looking around curiously. »Just go straight,« I answered and apologized briefly, because I wanted to go to the bathroom. After spraying some cold water on my face to ward off the fatigue, I went to the living room, which was adjacent to the kitchen, and sat down at the counter. Raya was already turning my kitchen into a battlefield. »You can cook, right?« I asked a bit unsettled. »Of course,« she exclaimed indignantly. I hoped she was telling the truth and rested my head on my left hand to keep watching her. She cut vegetables, cooked rice, and prepared the meat. »All we have to do now is wait until everything is done,« the brunette said and began to clean up the mess she had caused.

When the kitchen was back to its original state, she turned to me. »May I look around?« she asked. » dD not force yourself. I'm out,« I said, sitting down on the veranda. »You're pretty neat,« it sounded from the inside. I saw her scurrying down the hall. She stopped at the pictures on the wall. »You were so cute back then too,« she grinned.

I rolled my eyes and leaned against the veranda door. This exhaustion was annoying. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the warm weather and the wind blowing through my hair. »Food is ready!« I heard Raya calling from the kitchen. I got up and sat back at the counter.

»That looks good,« I said in surprise as I looked at my plate, which she set down in front of me. »I told you I can cook,« she grinned and sat down opposite me. I took the first bite with caution. »And?« she asked, looking at me expectantly. »I would not have expected,« I said, shoving the next bite into my mouth. »If you want to get well, you need lots of protein and vitamins. You should better rest after eating. And while you do that, I'll see if anything needs to be done in the house,« she said, full of energy.

»Raya, that's really nice of you, but you really don't have to do that. You already cooked for us,« I replied. »No argument. Now eat up,« she instructed me. »Yes Mother,« I grumbled, making her laugh.


	28. Mama Raya

As I lay outside on the soft grass in the shade of the sakura tree of my backyard, Raya romped around the house to find something to clean. I told her several times that she didn't have to do it. Everything was already cleaned up and I could do it myself, if I thought it necessary. Raya really behaved like a mother.

»No training today?« I heard a voice above me. I opened my eyes and looked at the branch on which Sasuke sat and smirked down at me. »Forced break,« I said, pointing to the house where Raya was pacing. He followed the gesture and seemed amused. »What is she doing there?« asked he. »She's looking for a place to clean,« I replied with a smile as well.

»She can search for a long time.« He jumped from the tree and sat down next to me. I sat up too. »What do you mean by forced break?« he asked now. »I overslept and got up to training as fast as possible. But my captain said, I should just watch and when I almost nodded off in a tree, Raya came in and said I have to go home because I have temperature. She brought me home, cooked and now she wants to do the household,« I told the short version.

He looked at me triumphantly. »I told you, you're getting a fever.« »But she put her hand to my forehead and not like you, just pressed her head to mine,« I said, reminding him of yesterday's situation. »My hands were cold and you just looked sick. My Okaa-san always did that, if she thought I was getting sick,« he defended himself mumbling and looked ashamed aside.

»Is that the boyfriend Haru talked about?« asked Raya, who suddenly appeared behind Sasuke. »He is cute. You have an excellent taste, Shizuka,« she said mischievously grinning. I rolled my eyes, apparently disconcerting Sasuke. »I'll explain it later,« I said to the Uchiha, who stared at me in confusion. »Sasuke, this is Raya, my mother for one day. Raya, that's Sasuke,« I introduced them to each other. »I'm glad to meet you, Sasuke-kun,« she said. He nodded and seemed overwhelmed, which amused me.

»You seem to be more easier in his presence,« the green-eyed woman stated, pointing to Sasuke after she meticulously eyed me. »That has nothing to do with him,« I replied and lay down again. »Sure,« she murmured amused and disappeared back into the house. »You just let her do it?« Sasuke asked. I shrugged my shoulders. »I can't stop her anyway. Most of my team are pretty pushy,« I replied.

»What did she mean with boyfriend?« I sighed. »Haru, the boy who always picks me up and brings me home, believes that you're my boyfriend and has spread it in a team,« I replied. »Understand,« he only said. He and Itachi were more alike than I was initially aware of. It became quiet between us. I started dozing and then went to sleep. When it got cooler, I woke up again. I sat up and looked around. The Uchiha didn't seem to have moved a bit, because he was sitting as grown on his patch of grass. I looked to the house. There was no movement.

»She left after you fell asleep. She said you were in good hands with me and that you should remember your captain's orders. Whatever that means,« said the young Uchiha. »He said I should not let myself be seen in training before I'm fully fit again,« I explained. He nodded. I got to my feet and stretched extensively. Sleep did well and I felt much better. I breathed in the cold air once again and then made my way into the house.

»What are you up to?« he asked, getting up too. »Have you eaten yet?« I asked. He shook his head. »I thought so.« I went to the kitchen and warmed up the leftover food that Raya had made, made rice balls and cooked pudding. I knew that Sasuke did not like sweets, so I had more for myself. When I had finished, I put the meal in front of him while I eat the pudding. Sasuke looked at me with a raised eyebrow.

»What? Even I crave for sweet things sometimes,« I said, slowly spooning the pudding. »You're just a girl after all,« he said, shaking his head. »And you're a boy. But the gender has nothing to do with it. There are also guys who like to eat pudding,« I said and thought of the sweet tooths of Akatsuki. Well, except for the Zetsu. He preferred to approach other things.

»When do we start the training?« he asked, changing the subject. »Aren't the Chūnin Exams going to start soon?« I asked. »Kakashi-sensei hasn't said anything about it yet, but I'm assuming he logs us in,« Sasuke said. »Well then I would say, let's start tomorrow. Unless you really want to start today.« He nodded. »If you feel strong enough,« he said. I raised an eyebrow. He said nothing more and ate. After I had spooned out my bowl, we went into the garden.

»Say Shizuka, since when do you actually wear gauntlets?« he suddenly asked. »Is the new trend. Do you want to train or discuss my fashion taste now?« He did not say anything. »Activate your Sharingan,« I instructed. Without hesitation, he did so. »Your Sharingan is so pronounced that you can read lips, copy movements and Jutsu's and, as you know, you have a much clearer view,« I began.

»You need to know that the Sharingan consists of two components. The eye of insight, that gives you the ability to see the chakra and it's flow. For example, you're able to see if your opponent is caught in a Genjutsu, because your opponent's chakra flow is then different than normal. Then the eye of hypnotism, which serves for the perception and imitation of the Jutsu's and movements. The Sharingan can evaluate many images and information at once. With a well-developed Sharingan, you'll even be able to detect in a fraction of a second, where an object will fly or what movement an opponent will make, based on flight trajectories, throw angles, or the slightest muscle movement. It seems to others as if we could see the future. But it won't be of any use if your body is unable to keep up,« I explained to him. He nodded. »Let's see how fast you are,« I said, getting myself ready to attack and activated my Sharingan.

The next moment a strong pain shot through my arm. I gasped and sank to my knees, clutching my right wrist. »Damn, that stupid snake should have told me that it responds to my Sharingan,« I gasped. Sasuke was already sitting next to me. »What's wrong?« he asked, seeming confused and worried at the same time. »Nothing ... it'll go ... again,« I hissed. The pain did not subside. Not even when I disabled my blood heritage. I felt like my arm was going up in flames. The throbbing was back too.

I clasped my wrist even tighter. Sasuke pulled my arm away, pulled up the gauntlet and released the mark. »What is this?« he asked, looking at the black mark that was now red again. Some kind of black pattern spread slowly over my arm.

»Don't tell ... anyone ... about it. Understood?« I said in pain. He shook his head. »I'll get Kakashi-sensei. He can keep secrets,« he said and jumped over the fence. Damn.


	29. Seal and interrogate

**Sasuke Pov.**

I jumped over the rooftops of Konoha. Thanks Kami I knew where Kakashi lived, so I wouldn't need to search forever. On the way to the Hatake, I wondered what that mark on Shizuka's wrist was. For the time being, I put the question aside and concentrated on the current events. I ended up at the door to Kakashi's apartment. I pounded on the door. There was nothing to hear. I tried again.

»Alright, alright! I'm coming,« I heard the voice of my Sensei from inside. The door opened and Kakashi stood in front of me, looking somewhat puzzled.

»Sasuke ... ,« he began, but I did not give him time to speak and pulled him with me.

»You must come immediately,« I said, pulling him on the roof behind me.

»Can't it wait so I can put on my shoes?« he asked, still confused.

»No,« I answered.

Kakashi freed himself from my grip and ran independently next to me.

»Where are we going to?« asked he.

»To Shizuka. Something's wrong with her. She seems to be in pain, and she has a strange mark on her wrist that seems to be spreading on her arm,« I replied, adding tempo again.

My sensei nodded and caught up to me.

When we arrived at her home, she lay crumpled where I left her and breathed heavily. She seemed to be fighting against something. Kakashi didn't hesitate and leaned down to her. I stopped at a distance and saw him whispering to her. She just nodded or shook her head. He then looked at her wrist. He picked her up and took her indoors.

»Wait here,« he said to me when I wanted to follow them. I nodded and sat in the already damp grass.

 **Shizuka's Pov.**

»Can you sit upright?« Kakashi asked.

I sat up. It was difficult for me to keep my balance, but for a while it would work. Meanwhile, not only my wrist but also my head throbbed. As if someone was working on my skull with a rubber mallet.

»Please make your right arm freewhile I prepare everything.«

First, I slowly and laboriously removed the gauntlet, before getting rid of my top. My body was completely exhausted.

»That should be enough,« the Jonin said, looking at me.

He had painted some characters around me. Now he began to paint my body with his blood. So I didn't have to completely expose myself before him, he led the paint under my shirt.

»Listen carefully,« he said, squatting in front of me. »I'll seal the mark now and then take you to the hospital, and I'll have to inform the Hokage,« he said.

I shook my head and looked at him pleadingly.

»Let's start with the sealing first,« he said, forming hand seals before putting his hands on the mark.

The signs of blood snaked across my skin and merged into a seal, around the mark, together. I felt him picking me up and making his way to the hospital before I lost consciousness.

When I woke up, I first noticed the odor of disinfectant. I wanted to straighten up, but was immediately pressed back into the sheets.

»You should not move too much yet. The fight against the curse mark has cost you a lot of strength,« Kakashi said, sitting back in the chair beside the bed.

»How long did I sleep?« I asked, 'cause I felt like I slept forever.

»Two days.«

After a brief silence, he turned to me again. »Are you telling me what happened?«

»We were on a mission to free our teammate and I ran into Orochimaru, who gave me this thing,« I said shortly.

»And the unofficial version?« he asked.

I had already thought that he would not believe me. I sighed and thought for a moment how to phrase it.

"I've known Orochimaru for a while. I've met him several times over the four years, but I've always been able to escape through a ruse. When we tried to rescue Raya, he ambushed me and took me to his hideout into some kind of lab, trying to negotiate with me. My blood, against the key to Raya's cell, "I started.

»What did you do then?« he asked, looking thoughtful.

»I surprised him with a Genjutsu, took the key and searched the cell of my comrade. This cost me time, because this hideout was the purest maze. He has used the time to free himself from my Jutsu, attack me and bit me,« I ended.

» How did you save yourself from the fight?« he asked further.

»Will that be an interrogation?« I asked back.

»I just want to understand that,« he justified himself and looked at me invitingly.

»I know a special Genjutsu that paralyzes the attacker,« I explained.

»How did you get him to look in your eyes again? Orochimaru is not stupid,« the silver-haired men asked.

»I told him that I have the Mangekyou Sharingan and would use it against him. He was surprised at first, then curious, so I pretended to use it and pulled him into the Jutsu,« I lied.

»Do you possess the Mangekyou?« he asked.

»I thought I should rest and you interrogate me here,« I said, ignoring the question.

»Answer the question.« His tone sounded more like an order than a nice call.

»Why do you wanna know that?« I asked.

»Pure curiosity.«

»You think I'm stupid,« I said.

»Not at all. You're a pretty smart girl, I was convinced of that after our little fight,« he replied.

»Why are you doing this ... nice conversation?« I asked and became so suspicious.

He seemed to realize that. »In no one's job. I just thought your story was weird. An eight-year-old girl is said to have spent four years on her own in the Land of Fire, teaching so much herself?«

I wondered if I could trust Kakashi and tell him a part of the truth. Itachi thought a lot of Copy Ninja. Besides, he would push me further and further into the corner anyway.

»I'll keep everything you tell me to myself. I can understand your mistrust,« he said.

»I can tell you a part, but not everything. That can't be public, otherwise I'm in danger.«

He nodded.

»I do possess the Mangekyou Sharingan since the day my brother died and I had the Sharingan under control even before Shisui's death. Itachi trained me and showed me how to handle the Mangekyou, but I don't use it. No one else is allowed to know that I have it. I learned most of my Genjutsu from Itachi too, meaning I was prepared for anything before the massacre staged by Itachi,« I said.

»You were there when Itachi killed your brother?« he asked in surprise.

Fury crept up in me.


	30. Talks

My body was shaking with anger. I hated that Itachi was blamed for everything. He had not killed Shisui and he had not been given a choice regarding the massacre.

»No word about it, do you understand?« Itachi's question echoed in my mind as I remembered the night.

My hands wrapped around the blanket and clenched into fists. I ignored the pain in my wrist that manifested in the reaction.

»Yes. I was there at his death,« I finally said, trying to get my emotions back under control.

Kakashi was silent. Apparently he had realized that he had gone too far.

»Will you tell the Hokage?« I asked, having recovered myself somewhat.

I wanted to make sure he did not say a word about this conversation. He shook his head.

»I'll keep my word,« he said.

I nodded and an unpleasant silence spread.

»Now about the curse mark,« he changed the subject as the silence became unbearable.

I looked at him. Apparently the topic of the past was over.

»The seal I used is only as strong as you are. I only know vague stories about the curse mark, but I know with certainty that it will eventually take away your will if you use it too often. If you allow the darkness to take over your body, the seal will not last long,« he explained.

»I do not intend to use it, I don't need that thing,« I replied.

»I didn't expect anything else from you, but I can't hide the curse mark from the Hokage. I have to tell him.«

I nodded understandingly, even though I did not like it.

"Can we leave it with the Hokage? My team doesn't know about it, and Raya already feels guilty. If she finds out I have, it certainly won't make it any easier.« I gave him a questioning look.

»It's not in my hands, but I'll convey your request to the Hokage and let you know about his decision,« he said, getting up.

»Kakashi?« I held him back when he reached the door.

He stopped in his motion and turned his head to me.

»Thanks for the help with the curse mark. I do not know how much longer I could've hold it back,« I said.

»You should thank Sasuke, he acted quickly and came to me immediately.«

I nodded. Kakashi opened the door.

»You can come in now. She's awake,« I heard him say before Sasuke entered the room.

 **Kakashi's Pov.**

I made room for Sasuke and he entered Shizuka's hospital room.

On the way to the Hokage I tried to arrange all the information I had just received. I knew that I had gone too far when I addressed Shisui's death. Every fiber of her body had been about to jump out of bed and go to my throat.

It was strange to see how the girl, who was always calm and cold, was about to blow herself up. Still, it surprised me how quickly she got her feelings under control.

Although I believed that she had her Sharingan under control at a young age, I still couldn't imagine that she had been traveling alone for four years. Even the story with Orochimaru, I didn't really buy her. But I did not want to irritate her any further. She really needed to recover. Maybe she would tell me the truth someday.

I knocked on the door to the Hokage office and waited to be invited in. When the Hokage did so, I entered and waited for him to look up from his stack of paperwork.

»How is Shizuka doing?« he asked as he turned his attention to me.

»Better,« I replied.

»What happened?« asked he.

I wanted to speak to the Uchiha myself before explaining the situation to the Hokage, so he didn't know anything about the curse mark.

»Sasuke came to me two days ago and said that Shizuka would be sick and when we arrived at her home, she was lying on the floor, in pain and writhing. I argued with her for a while, until she showed me that she's wearing the curse mark of Orochimaru's on her wrist,« I told her.

"Why do I not know anything about this?" His eyes were serious and worried.

»Nobody knew about it. It was activated when she wanted to use her Sharingan. I sealed it and took her to the hospital. She just woke up and I enlightened her about the risks of the curse mark and sealing,« I reported.

»What did she say?« he checked.

»That she doesn't intend to use the curse mark because it has no use to her. It wasn't a lie, I'm sure of that.«

He nodded. »Keep an eye on her and help her if she needs help. I do not know what Orochimaru plans to do with her, but it won't be good,« he said.

»That she does not intend to use the curse mark because it has no use to her. It was not a lie, I'm sure of that.«

He nodded. »Keep an eye on her and help her if she needs help. I do not know what Orochimaru plans to do with her, but it won't be good,« he said.

Now it was my turn to nod. I was dismissed with that.

»Oh, Hokage-sama. Shizuka asked me that her team should not learn anything about that. She said Raya would blame herself even more,« I delivered Shizuka's request.

He seemed to think. »I think at least Tenzo should know about it,« he mumbled.

»I'll tell her,« I said and left the office.

Tomorrow, the Chunin exams would start, so I didn't really have time to check on her. She would surely have to spend another two days in the hospital until she was released. Until then, I had to find someone who could keep an eye on them unobtrusively.

I went the way back to the hospital again. Just before I reached the building, I noticed a disturbance. I hurried and went in, where some nurses seemed to be looking for something.

»Can I help you somehow?« I asked one of the sisters.

»We're looking for a young girl who should be lying in her bed. 12 years old, very pretty, long black hair and dark eyes. You didn't happen to see her by accident?« she asked, rattling the description down.

I shook my head in disbelief.

»I'll look for her,« I said, leaving the hospital instantly.

She could not come out of the hospital alone, which meant that Sasuke must have helped her. The two were irresponsible.

I went to the Uchiha-District and stood on the roof of Shizuka's house.

I saw her giving instructions to Sasuke as she sat relaxedly leaning against a tree in the grass. I watched in amusement as she trained Sasuke in dealing with the Sharingan.

When I was sure the girl was alright, I disappeared again. If anything should happen, Sasuke was still there and could help her.

I took my Icha Icha out of one of my pockets and made my way home.


	31. Escape

**Shizuka's Pov**

I saw Kakashi closing the door behind Sasuke, who sat down on the chair.

»How are you?« asked he.

»I'm alright,« I replied.

»Are you going to tell me what that thing on your wrist is and what happened when you activated your Sharingan?« he asked straight out.

»It's the curse mark. It doesn't matter why and where I got it, but it seems to be responding to my Sharingan. Kakashi has sealed it, so this shouldn't happen again,« I explained.

»Why didn't you told me about it?«

»Did I ever told you anything about me?« I asked in amusement.

He shook his head. I started disconnecting the cabling from my body and pulled the needle, which resulted in a fluid drip, out of my arm.

»Could you look if you can find my clothes in the closet?« I questioned.

»What are you doing?« he asked wide-eyed.

»I want to change my clothes. Or do you think I like walking around in a thin hospital overall that flaunts my back?« I replied with a counter question.

He frowned. Then he stood and walked to the closet that was opposite my bed. Without a word threw my clothes to me, which were in said closet. I looked at him. He walked to the door, leaving it ajar. I took off my thin hospital clothe and carefully put on my clothes. Finally, I put on my shoes and brushed my gauntlets over my arms. Standing was pretty hard, but I didn't want to stay in the hospital anymore.

»Are you done?« he asked.

»Yes, you can come in,« I said.

He came in, closed the door behind him and looked at me.

»Since when do you wear shoes in bed?« he asked.

I smirked. »I'm going home now and you could help me with that. I feel relatively good and can rest at home.«

He shook his head.

»Forget it. The last time you said that you ended up here,« he said.

»Oh come on, Sasuke. If you help me, I'll help you with your training today,« I suggested, hoping to lure him that way.

He seemed to struggle with himself.

»You can bring me back personally, if you think it's necessary,« I said.

He sighed and squatted in front of me.

»What the heck?« I asked.

»Either this way or noting. It's hard for you to stand, and you're definitely too slow. If they catch us, you'll be back in the bed sooner than you'd like. Besides, it isn't the first time that I carry you home,« he argued, grinning cheekily.

I sighed and climbed on his back.

»If you tease me with that it'll be the last thing you do,« I warned him.

Again that mischievous smile. He went to the window and opened it.

»Ready?« he asked and climbed onto the windowsill.

»Let's get it over with,« I replied.

He jumped on the street and started to run. When we passed several hundred meters between the hospital and us, he slowed down.

»How do you want to train with me when you can not even walk?«

»You'll see,« I said.

He ran, ignoring the curious glances, towards Uchiha-District. I found the looks uncomfortable and my body tensed almost automatically.

»Could you please relax a little bit? If you're so cramped, I find it difficult to carry,« the Uchiha asked.

»I don't like the way people are staring at us,« I mumbled.

»Then hold on thight.«

I wrapped my arms tighter around his neck, folding my hands in front of his chest. Without a warning, he set the pace and jumped to the next roof to continue there.

»Since when do you care about what people say,« he said, jumping to the nearest roof as if he had no luggage on his back.

I did not think he was that strong.

»It's enough that my team things we are a couple and keeps me permanently on it. So the villagers dot have to whisper in addition. Plus, I don't think it's great when I'm thought to be a weak girl brought home,« I told him.

»We know it better, so dont be like that.«

At our destination, he slowed his pace and walked again on the sandy road. I remembered Kakashi's words.

»Ne, Sasuke?«

»Mhm?«

»Thank you for getting Kakashi when I was feeling so bad,« I mumbled as we stood in front of my house.

He hesitated, then nodded. I thought he would make fun of it, but I seemed to be wrong.

Sasuke let me down and I unlocked the door. We entered one after another and immediately went through the living room into the garden. I sat down in the shade of a tree while Sasuke stopped waiting and looked at me questioningly.

I tried it with a shadow clone. To my luck, it worked without anything happening to me.

»Activate your Sharingan,« I told him.

He activated his Kekkei Genkai without hesitation. Now my shadow clone and he faced each other.

»Let's start with the speed,« I said.

The next moment my doppelganger set off and attacked Sasuke from various positions. Meanwhile I leaned back and watched the two of them. Every now and then, I gave him some tips and instructions on how to use the Sharingan's power even more efficiently.

In the end, he had adapted to the speed and did his job really well. I let the clone disappear.

»That wasn't so bad for a start. But in the end you got the hang of it and could keep up,« I said.

»Tomorrow will start the Chunin exams,« he said, dropping beside me.

»It's definitely interesting,« I answered honestly.

It had to be fun to compete with so many ninja from the most diverse realms.

»Do you regret joining the ANBU?« he asked.

I didn't even wonder how he knew that I was with the ANBU, but I could imagine. Sasuke wasn't stupid and knew my skills, which is why he had certainly made the conclusion.

My skills were similar to those of his brother and Shisui, who were also with the ANBU. I remembered that at that time, not a secret was made of it, as it is today.

I shook my head. »The training is interesting and I've learned some new jutsu's. Well, not really learned, I copied them,« I replied.

»Will you teach me some?« asked he.

»You'd like that. But our training limited to the Sharingan,« I replied cheekily grinning.

I could not really interpret his look. It had something of being confused and surprised. I was not sure though.

»Let's go in,« he said, getting up and handing me a helping hand.

 _ **Hello everyone! Like I mentioned earlier, English is not my mother tongue and neither is Japanese. Ya know, in our country's schools, students can volunteer to learn other languages besides the mother tongue and English. For example, my best friend learns English, Japanese and Spanish. So, every time I want to translate something in Japanese for this book I'm asking her for help. My apologies if something isn't translated correctly.**_

 _ **Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please comment!**_

 _ **~ Uchiha Ai**_


	32. Chunin exams

**Shizuka**

»I should what?« I asked again.

At the moment I was standing in front of the Hokage, who told me that I should help in the first exam in the selection of the participants.

»You should support Morino Ibiki and filter out people who are too conspicuous to get information,« he repeated.

»So you believe that the people will let them kicked out by a 12-year-old girl?« I checked.

»You know how to assert yourself, and with your Sharingan you do not miss the slightest detail,« he said quietly.

»If you think so,« I replied.

»Ibiki is waiting for you at the ANBU headquarters,« he said, ending the conversation.

On my way to headquarters, I wondered who had come up with this crazy idea and why, of all people, choose me? Okay, I wasn't quite fit yet, so I couldn't attend the training, but was that why I had to turn it off?

A tall middle-aged man stood in front of the entrance of the headquarters. He wore a gray suit and a black coat over it. His head was covered by a bandana and his face was marked by two large scars.

»Shizuka?« he asked.

I nodded.

»Follow me,« he said shortly, leading me inside the building.

He turned left and we landed in the torture and interrogation department. There were already some Ninja in the room where he brought me, who looked at me in astonishment.

»Sit down.«

I did what he said and sat in one of the free chairs.

»You know why we're here. In one hour the Chunin Exam written test begins, and this year we've been assigned a member of Team Ro who will attend to assess and sort out the participants. Don't bother with her age, she is not in vain with the ANBU,« he said.

The ninja nodded in sync.

»Well, then I'm curious how many qualify this year,« he continued.

His lecture seemed to have ended, for murmurs spread among the audience.

»Hey Shizuka.«

I turned around and spotted Kotetsu and Izumo.

»You are not from the ANBU,« I said, confused.

»Not all of the ANBU's can be used for the exams, so a few Chunin and Tokubetsu Jonin* are there to watch the candidates. And when so many Genin of different lands are gathered, the ANBUs must stay on guard,« Izumo said.

»That makes sense, of course,« I muttered.

»What are you doing here?« Kotetsu asked.

»I'm not fit after the last mission and that's why I want to join in. The Hokage said my Sharingan would be helpful in sorting out unsuitable candidates, but I still think there's going to be trouble. I'm the same age as most participants, if not younger, and I don't think they let me say what they've to do,« I explained my concerns.

»It'll be fine. We'll be there, too,« the black-haired Chunin said encouragingly.

I nodded and sank in my thoughts. Of course, my Sharingan was helpful, but I did not think that my blood heritage was the only reason I was called to do so. Besides, these Chunin were all capable, so why did they need me?

»Shizuka,« I was approached by Ibiki.

I looked to him. The tall man came towards me.

»We're going to teleport to room 301 at three o'clock. You know your job. If someone opposes your instruction to leave the room, you can convince him with your skills that you're just the right one for this job,« he said.

I nodded and briefly activated my Sharingan to make sure the seal really did what it promised.

»Let the Sharingan activated. We'll have to go and see who gets confused by your eyes,« he grinned mischievously.

I did not know if he was nasty or someone who liked to have fun.

I nodded puzzled.

»Get ready,« said Ibiki a bit louder.

The conversations ceased and everyone turned to the interrogation specialist. I wanted to mix with the crowd, but Ibiki held me back and placed me in front of him.

»Otherwise your eyes would not have the desired effect,« he murmured to me.

He gave the signal and we teleported to room 301. There was a lot of smoke for the show effect.

First, I noticed three ninja standing opposite a gray-haired boy. They seemed anything but friendly. Team 7 and the other rookies were there as well.

»So you little baby faces, shut up and listen to me,« Ibiki said loudly.

All eyes were on him.

»The first exam begins. I'm Morino Ibiki, your examiner and from now on, your worst enemy,« he said.

His voice sounded threatening and amused at the same time. He was apparently on big gigs. I refrain from turning my eyes.

As I thought, the Sound-Ninjas seemed to have had an argument with this gray-haired Genin, for Ibiki was just reprimanding them.

The first glances fell on me. For some Genin, the first uncertainty spread.

While we observers sat down, Ibiki explained how the whole thing would work out here. I noticed Sasuke's eyes, secretly asking me what I was doing here. I shrugged and nodded at the examiner. Sasuke understood and continued to listen to the rules.

After everyone pulled their number and got into their seats, Ibiki explained what the task was. After all questions were answered, he started the exam.

The task was very easy. The participants had to get information without being caught. If we caught someone five times, we were allowed to expel them from the exam room.

So I sat on my chair with my clipboard and watched the smallest abnormalities.

I especially noticed Naruto, who looked damned nervous. Sakura wrote as if there would be no tomorrow. She has always been very good in theory, so she certainly wouldn't need to write off someone.

Those who understood what it was all about, used their Jutsu's.

A red-haired boy caught my eye. He was totally relaxed, holding one of his eyes with his hand. I watched the room and my eyes stopped at a moving in the air, where an eye of sand materialized. Very clever, I had to admit that.

Sasuke also seemed to have understood, because he now used his Sharingan.

As I watched the individual's abilities, I kept writing down the numbers of those who failed miserably when cheating. Number 5 had his account full.

»Number 5, failed,« I said loud enough for him to hear it.

His eyes fell on me and he did not look really happy.

»Number 30 and 56 are out too, pack your things and leave,« I said.

While numbers 56 and 30 got up, number 5 stayed seated and seemed to have a problem with my decision.

 _ **Tokubetsu Jonin - Special Jonin**_


	33. Sabaku no Gaara

**Shizuka's Pov.**

»Do you have a problem?« I asked him and raised an eyebrow.

»Indeed, there is,« the boy retorted.

I put my clipboard down on the chair I had just got up from and looked questioningly at the Genin.

»I'm not going to let me get kicked out of the exam, just because a little girl with eyes of a freak says I'm cheating,« he hissed.

All eyes were on us. At the edge of my vision, I saw Sasuke tighten his grip on his pen. Kotetsu, who was sitting next to me, wanted to interfere, but I stopped him with a wave of my hand. I glanced at Ibiki, who nodded to me.

The Genin still looked me straight in the eye. He had apparently never made acquaintance with the Sharingan, let alone heard of my bloodline. Then I wanted to show him what the eyes of a freak could do.

The next instant he dropped to his knees, screaming. I noticed some pairs of eyes flitting between us. I dissolved the Jutsu after a few seconds and the boy steadied himself with his arms on the ground, panting, before looking at me, this time confused.

»My eyes get the slightest movement from you, so you should not doubt my decision,« I said to him and his comrades.

They only nodded. Supported by his teammates, he left the room. I sat down again and felt the looks that lay on me. The red-haired Genin watched me with interest as the Uchiha tried to suppress a smile.

I ignored them and concentrated on my task again. The others had meanwhile also sorted out some of the team's.

There was a very amusing situation when one of the Chunin, with a half bandaged head, told a recalcitrant candidate that we saw everything. Well noticed, the upper half of the Chunin's head, so his eyes, was bandaged.

The next team I asked to leave made no attempt to fight back and left the room instantly.

Fifteen minutes before the end of the written exam, came the final of Ibiki's great test. The tenth question.

But before he asked the question, those who were too scared should leave. Should they stay and fail, he claimed that they would never be allowed to rejoin the selection exam and remain a Genin forever. That had apparently sucked, because some teams really got out. If I counted correctly, there were still 26 teams left.

Ibiki checked again, if someone still wanted to get out. Naruto raised his hand, just to smash it on the table in the next moment. He then gave a lecture that he wouldn't care if he remained a Genin. He would one day become Hokage. That seemed to reinforce the others, and I could only shake my head and smile a little at Naruto's behavior.

Ibiki then told them that they had passed. General confusion spread and questions were asked before the window suddenly shattered and a young woman stormed in. Behind her, a banner opened, indicating that she was Mitarashi Anko, the second examiner.

These examiners did not seem to be very clear in the head.

After she had introduced herself again, the second exam should begin immediately. Little by little, the Genins left the room.

Sasuke stopped by for a moment. »Nice performance,« he said, smiling.

I ignored his comment. »You should be careful with the Redhead from Sunagakure and his team,« I warned.

His features immediately became serious again and he nodded.

»We met them just before Kakashi told us that we would take the exam,« he told me.

»He seems to be very interested in us,« I said, noticing from the corner of my eye that the red-haired boy was watching us.

I turned my gaze to the Suna-Nin who, after a brief look into my ruby-red eyes, turned around and left.

»This is not a normal boy,« I muttered.

»Until recently you were not normal, too.«

»One day your cheeky grin will disappear,« I said.

He raised his hand and disappeared from the room to catch up with his team.

I heard Ibiki's footsteps behind me and turned to face him.

»If you didn't work for the assassination division, I would get you to our unit. What did you do with the boy?« Ibiki asked with interest.

»A genjutsu in which the victim feels that their own blood is burning. This jutsu is effective, but unsuitable for interrogation of strong willed shinobi,« I answered.

»Interesting,« he murmured. »You can go home now. According to the Hokage, you still have to recover from some of the injuries you sustained on your last mission.«

I nodded and, like everyone else, left the room. On the way, I bought a few more groceries. At home, I started to cook dinner. When I had eaten and cleaned everything up, I sat down on the engawa.

It was already dark. I found the cool evening air pleasant. I lay on my back and looked at the stars. I liked this sight. In the first time with Akatsuki, I always compared the dark sky with a black soul. The stars were the light that still dwelt in this dark soul. When I told Itachi about it, he immediately drew this metaphor to himself. I hadn't seen Sasuke's brother for a while and I was missing him.

Suddenly I made out a movement to my right and instantly got on my feet. The red-haired boy from the Land of Wind stepped into the light that shone from the living room onto the engawa. Why was he here? He should be in the second exam. Why didn't I notice him earlier? Even though I was in thought, I hadn't been inattentive.

»What do you want?« I wanted to know.

»Who are you?« he asked. His voice was raspy and hoarse.

»What do you want here?« I asked.

His eyes narrowed slightly. »Answer me.«

»Who are you and what do you want from me?« I repeated and activated my Sharingan. He should realize that he couldn't do what he wanted on my land.

»I'm Sabaku no Gaara and I want to know if you're as strong as it seems. I want to fight you, I want to know if you're worth it being killed by me,« he said.

»Why do you want to kill me, if I be worth it in your eyes?« I asked further.

»This is my way of life, only by killing I am able to assert my existence. Now tell me, girl, who are you?« asked he.

"And if I don't?" I asked boldly.

He was about to raise his hand when a crow landed between us. The next moment I felt a well known chakra in my back.

The redhead stepped on the heel.

»Wait!« I called.

He turned his head.

»My name is Uchiha Shizuka,« I answered his earlier question.

»I'll remember your name.« With these words he disappeared again in the darkness.

»Scary guy,« I mumbled, turning to Itachi, who was standing behind me all the time.


	34. Plans

**Shizuka's** **Pov.**

»You always manage to make nice friends,« said the Uchiha and looked at me amused.

»It's pretty dangerous for you to show up at my house,« I said, gesturing for him to go inside.

He went in and sat down at the counter while I put out the light and sat down next to him.

»You have no idea how happy I am to see you,« I said.

»I'm sorry I kept you waiting so long. I was very busy,« he said.

»It's alright. I know you have your obligations,« I waved.

»How are you?« he asked.

»I have some important things to discuss with you,« I replied, becoming serious.

In the light of the moon shining through the window, I saw that he did not move his face and nodded.

»What is it?« he asked, because I didn't start talking right away.

»Orochimaru,« I said and showed him the curse mark on my wrist.

»What happened?« he growled.

»Orochimaru took me by surprise on a mission. The hide out we discovered two years ago seems to have some new entrances. Anyway, I went with him and he wanted to negotiate with me,« I said.

»About what?«

I sighed.

»He had captured a member of my team, which is why we went there first. After he got me, he told me that he was going to get Sasuke. He probably want to use him as the next vessel. With the words that I promised you to pay attention to Sasuke, he then wanted to lure me. And what should I say? I got lured. If your brother ever wants to go to Orochimaru, for whatever reason, I will go with him. I agreed to come along if he won't use Sasuke as a vessel. In return, he wanted our blood. He said if he had that, he wouldn't need Sasuke as a vessel. I don't want to know what he's up to. Anyway, I wanted to shook his hand in order to seal the deal, but then he bit me,« I told him.

Itachi scowled at me.

»Dobt look like that. You said I should take care of your brother,« I said reproachfully.

»That didn't mean you should go into Orochimaru's hands,« he said.

»It's too late now. I don't really like it either. I came back for a reason, but Orochimaru overcomes everything,« I said.

He looked at me questioningly. I had not told him about my plan.

»Unimportant,« I waved.

»Shizuka, what exactly did you want to do here? Try not to come up with a lie,« he said.

»I want to get Shisui's eye back that Danzo stole from him,« I said.

»Not even Shisui could do anything against Danzo, and you want to do it? How do you get the idea of throwing yourself into such a suicide mission?« asked he.

»I made a promise to make Danzo pay for what he did. It was his fault what happened with Shisui,« I said.

»That's the dumbest idea you've ever had, and I can say I know what I'm talking about,« he said.

»If we're now speaking about stupid ideas, I'd like to say once again that yours isn't much better, and I'd like to tell you again that I won't let that happen. I'll defeat Danzo, bring the truth to light, and restore the honor of our name. But if everything goes wrong and it comes as you planned, I will not hesitate and interfere,« I said, looking at him determinedly.

»Stubborn as always,« he said, shaking his head.

»What? No moral lecture? What's wrong, you always try to stop me from stupid ideas,« I said in surprise.

»I do understand your motives. While I think the idea is stupid, I will not stop you from going your own way. You're old enough to know what you're doing and to live with the consequences. Plus, you are even more stubborn than a donkey, so I have no choice but to support you as best I can,« he sighed.

I smiled triumphantly.

»That does not mean that I approve all that,« he added.

»Sooo you will drop your plan and help me with mine?« I asked sweetly.

»If it makes sure that you won't kill yourself to protect me ... then yes.«

My smile became even wider.

»Do not rejoice too soon. First, we have to sort it out with Orochimaru, and when you're with him, try to figure out exactly what he's up to.« He paused for a moment before continuing.

»I'll visit you as many times as I can, and you should also initiate Sasuke into your plan at the right time. The problem is that I've already pretty much prodded him. The way I know him and what you've told me, he's just as stubborn as you are. So if he's already set his mind on killing me, it'll be not easy to change his mind,« he pointed out.

»Leave that to me. If he's not cooperative, I'll force it inside his thick skull,« I said.

A smile graced his face. »I'm grateful for what you do for us,« he said.

»This way I can pay you back for taking care of me all the time,« I replied.

»Beware of Gaara. There's something wrong with this boy,« he said before rising.

»I promise I'll take care of myself,« I said.

He nodded in satisfaction and went to the door.

»I have to go,« he said and hugged me goodbye before he tapped me warmly on the forehead.

»You're a pretty good big brother, do you know that? Sasuke has no idea what he's missing,« I asked.

»You don't make yourself bad as a little sister, too,« he said and disappeared into the darkness of the night.

I was relieved to be able to retune Itachi and win him for my plan. Now that the plan was set for the future, all I had to do was work on one or the other idea, so that everything went well. And I would start by figuring out what Sasuke had planned and, if necessary, throw him off the wrong plans.


	35. What's your future dream?

**Shizuka's Pov.**

I was in the hospital watching Sasuke. I was sitting in a chair with a book, waiting for him to wake up.

For a reason unknown to me, Orochimaru had bitten Sasuke during the second exam and thus also provided him with the curse mark. Kakashi had already sealed it. He also liked the idea of me taking care of the Uchiha boy. I was certainly not the best choice because I fled after my sealing. Kakashi said that Sasuke's condition had been pretty bad, because the curse mark should have activated twice. That's why he was brought to a regular room only today.

I swarmed Sasuke's Fangirls off, without hurting them, if possible. Except for Sakura, who was part of his team, I did not let anyone see him and even her I let only stay for a few minutes.

While the pink-haired girl, often holding Sasuke's hands, sat by his bed and asked him to finally wake up, I left her privacy and sat outside on the balcony. I found her emotional outburst quite overdone. It was not like he was dying.

I sensed a move.

»Ne, Sleeping Beauty, have you finished your beauty sleep?« I asked amused and put the book aside.

He sat up and looked at me confused.

»You were unconscious for 4 days. You've spent two days in the intensive care unit and apparently you were pretty much blown away. Sakura spent almost two days by your bed begging for you to wake up already,« I told him.

»What are you doing here?«

»Kakashi thought I was the first and best choice to take care of you. I begin to doubt his common sense, after all, I was the one who escaped last time,« I said with a shrug.

»Have you been here for the last four days?«

»Since watching involves being by your side, yes. I just left the room when Sakura was there. Basically I threw her out after five minutes,« I said, wondering why he questioned that.

He nodded and took the needle out of his arm.

Meanwhile, I got up and went to the closet to get his clothes, which I had brought him, and threw them to him.

»No objections?« he asked in surprise.

»I told Kakashi I wouldn't be the best choice. If you think you're fit, we can go right now. I assume you want to train with Kakashi.«

He nodded.

I disappeared onto the balcony and closed the curtains so he could change.

He pulled the curtain to the side when he was done and stepped to me in the fresh air.

»Can you walk or should I give you a piggyback ride?« I asked, smirking.

»Do you know where Kakashi is?« asked he.

»I remember him talking about freeclimbing,« I said, referring.

He saw this as a sign to run and shimmied on the roof of the hospital. Pretty fit for someone who just woke up. I didn't hesitate and jumped after him.

The path to the plateau went smoothly and I watched amused as Kakashi tried to climb on this rock with only one hand.

He slipped off. Before losing his grip, he led chakra into his hand and continued to move up. When he finally reached the top, his eyes fell on us.

»I'm sure you do not use chakra in this sport,« I said as he looked at me.

»Why are you here? Sasuke should stay in the hospital and rest,« he said, giving me a reproachful look.

»I told you, I'm not the best choice, and I'm sure he's fine,« I explained.

»The poor nurses,« he said, shaking his head.

»Okay, now that everything is clear, I'll be on my way back,« I said, standing up.

»Wait,« Kakashi held me back.

I looked at him questioningly.

»Why don't you stay and watch the training?« asked he.

»Very tempting, but I've been away from my team for far too long, and if this continues, my own training will be missed,« I declined.

»I might have a few new Jutsu's in store for you,« he said.

How nasty was that?

»I doubt Tenzo thinks it's good for me to stay out of training,« I said.

»They are aware that you are taking care of Sasuke, who should still be in the hospital, so I don't think he will miss you,« he said.

I quarreled with myself. »Just today. Tomorrow I'll be back in training the ANBU,« I finally said.

He seemed content and nodded before turning to Sasuke.

I sat down on a smaller rock and watched him explain the Chidori to Sasuke. He used the Jutsu once so Sasuke could see and copy it before joining me to watch him.

»What are you aiming for with my presence here?« I confronted him.

»You do not seem to know, but Sasuke is spurred on by your presence,« he replied.

»So that was a lie with the Jutsu's,« I sighed, leaning back.

»No, it was not. You can copy some of my Jutsu's if you want,« he said.

After a few hours of training and my promise that I would drop by when I had time, Kakashi dismissed us and I headed home together with the Uchiha.

»Was it worth it to stay?« Sasuke asked visibly interested.

I nodded.

Kakashi had shown me some Jutsu's of the different elements. In addition, I will use the next time to try out the Chidori.

»Will you come with me to dinner? I know your fridge is empty and you have not eaten all day yet.«

He nodded.

»Ne, Sasuke?« I spoke to him while eating.

»Hn,« he replied.

»When I came into Kakashi's team, I completely shut down and didn't listen to you and the others in the introductory round. I didn't care about you guys at that time, so I was thinking about my own problems. I believe you talked about your future dreams, am I right?« I asked.

I remembered that I just said my name and then turned off again.

He nodded.

»What's your dream?« I asked.

 _ **Hello again!**_

 _ **The countdown has started! You read correct, only three more chapters to go!**_

 _ **~ Uchiha Ai**_


	36. Separate Paths?

He did not answer immediately, but looked at me indecisively for a while.

»I want to hold Itachi accountable for what he did to us. I want to rebuild the Clan and clean the name of Uchiha,« he said, his face darkening slightly.

»What he did to you. As you already know, the massacre of our Clan does not particularly affect me,« I answered truthfully.

»I don't get it. How can you not care? He killed your father, your relatives ... and Shisui,« he said, although he was quieting down with my brother's name.

Slowly it was enough for me. »Listen now, Sasuke,« I began, my voice cold and threatening.

The Uchiha looked at me in surprise.

»I'm tired of everyone making Itachi responsible for the death of my brother. He did not kill my brother. Shisui committed suicide, and I know that because I saw him fell into the river. My father was a tyrant and only considering his own advantage. His children were not nearly as important as the name Uchiha,« I growled.

»You have not the slightest idea what happened in the Clan. Did you ever think, that Itachi might have had his reasons? Did you ever think that maybe he had no choice?« I spoke myself in rage and addressed everything that came straight to my mind without thinking that I could get into an explanation.

Sasuke seemed surprised at first, then he looked at me intently.

»What do you mean?« he asked.

»What?« I asked, blinking as I realized what I had just said.

»With everything you've just said. Shisui, the Clan, Itachi's reasons for the massacre,« the raven counted.

»I made some theories in the time I was abroad,« I avoided.

I had myself under control again.

»What do you know about the massacre?« the boy continued to pursue.

I had said too much. In my opinion, Sasuke was not ready for the truth yet. Not before he left his revenge plans.

»That Itachi didn't kill Shisui. Otherwise I don't know more than you. But I pass on thoughts and don't stick to a point that seems logical to me. I don't just take what I'm told and build on it,« I replied.

There was a reproach in my voice that, as he thought only half of the events five years ago and believed the words Itachi had told him. Sasuke should know his brother better and know that he wasn't just killing people for no reason.

Itachi was the last one who liked to kill. He largely avoided fights and only opted for it when necessary. Even when he fought, he used mostly Genjutsu.

The raven-haired boy did not seem to like my answer and stood up.

»It's better when I go,« he said and disappeared across the engawa.

Great, I had done a great job. I sighed, cleaned the kitchen and then went to the bathroom to get ready for the night. As soon as I finished I dropped onto the bed and closed my eyes.

Actually, I wanted to talk with Sasuke about his curse mark and learn what Orochimaru wanted from him. I wanted to know what he had said to Sasuke. I could probably forget that now. I should have lied to him instead of answering so carelessly.

When I was with Sasuke, I lost control of my feelings far too often. Slowly I doubted the decision to at least partially take off my mask.

Itachi always stayed calm even when I had been quick-tempered. Although the brothers resembled each other in some ways, I probably had to get used to dealing with him differently than with his older brother.

It was probably better to return to our original relationship. That didn't cause much problems. It was better that I stay at a distance and wait and see how the whole thing developed. For now we would go separate ways.

 **Sasuke's Pov.**

My head was so full of information that I found no peace.

My escape from further discussion was definitely a mistake. The relationship with her had finally been stable, and she had started to behave like a halfway normal human rather than a programmed robot. I had probably messed up with my departure now.

Since I could not sleep, I walked through the silent and dark neighborhood of Uchiha and thought about the conversation.

Her words regarding Itachi and Shisui confused me and made me doubt the words Itachi told me on the night of the massacre. She had been present at Shisui's death and said it was suicide. So why did Itachi say he had killed him? If he had lied, was it all a lie? Or did Shizuka lie?

I couldn't imagine that. She wouldn't lie when it came to her brother, I was sure of that. It also seemed as though the words came out of her uncontrollably. As if she had been carrying the secret of Shisui's death for some time. I've never seen her so angry the entire time she was here. Accordingly, this emotional outburst came as a surprise.

On the way home, I tried to banish the conversation and thoughts from my head. I had to focus on my training and the fight with Gaara.

I can clarify everything with Shizuka later. As long as I didn't know anything, I would pursue my way further. That meant getting stronger for me.

When I got home, I got ready for the night and went to bed. Kakashi's training wouldn't be easy, that much he'd told me, so I had to rest. I could not afford a weakness.


	37. Last mission

**Shizuka's Pov.**

The third test was coming and our orders were clear. Part of each division should be in the arena while the others were on guard should any unforeseen difficulties arise.

Ame and I were assigned to the arena because our cooperation worked best.

The whole thing happened, of course, only because Orochimaru had intervened in the second exam.

I had not seen Sasuke in the past three weeks. The redhead from Sunagakure had not turned up either.

I asked Danzo for some extra training lessons with Sai. The Shimura happily agreed and watched me meticulously. He seemed pleased with my development because he always had a grin on his face when the training was over.

The benefit of the extra training was that I could tell Kakashi, who came by once, that I did not have time to attend Sasuke's training.

»Shizuka, is everything alright with you?« Ame asked in the evening before the exam.

»Of course,« I replied curtly.

That's the third time he asked me the same question today. He looked at me urgently.

»Ame, I'm fine. I'm fit and ready for tomorrow,« I assured him before I left.

It was already quite late.

We had talked about some difficulties that could happen and discussed what we would do in which situation.

Slowly I walked through Konoha and looked around again. I had decided to go to Orochimaru after completing the exams, so I kept my distance to my team.

Cancel all contacts and disappear secretly. That was the plan.

I went home and checked again if I had packed everything.

Itachi knew about my plan, even if he didn't agree with it. He thought it was too early and I would act hastily. But I did not want to wait any longer.

After I had convinced myself that my gear and clothes were completely stowed, I went into the kitchen and plundered the fridge. I had to clean it up tomorrow and throw away the leftovers. Should I ever come back, I had no desire to find the fridge in the same stage as it was when I moved in.

After making myself a snack, I sat outside on the engawa and let my legs dangle while I kept putting one of the **aranciri** in my mouth.

I was curious to see if Orochimaru would be there tomorrow and cause trouble. As I estimated and knew him, sure.

I sighed before getting up and going to the kitchen. After the dishes were done, I got ready for the night and went to bed.

I got up before dawn and got the house in order.

Before I left, I put my backpack in the entrance area and put on my ANBU-mask one last time.

Ame and I wanted to meet in front of the arena and do a little lap around the grounds to see if everything was safe.

»Good morning,« he greeted me friendly.

»Morning,« I retorted calmly.

»Let's go in opposite directions and meet us on the other side of the arena,« he suggested.

I nodded and made my way. After I finished my half, I went to our meeting place. Ame was already waiting.

»Nothing to see,« I reported.

»I didn't saw anything either. Let's have a look inside.«

I nodded and we started scouring every corner of the arena for any traps.

We had just finished and had given the OK, as already poured the first people in the arena.

Ame and I placed in various places in the stands and would stay connected via headset.

The ranks of the grandstand filled up and there were only a few places left.

I had already discovered some of my former classmates. In the lower rows, I could see Sakura, Choji and Ino. In addition, Kiba and Hinata were also on site.

In the arena stood Shikamaru, Shino and Gaara. The other two Suna-Nin's were from his team. I didn't know the Hyūga boy personally, but I had watched him in the written exam.

Naruto and Sasuke were still missing. Since Kakashi was not here yet, I did not have to worry. They would surely come later.

It wasn't long before Naruto stumbled into the arena and after Genma was sure that Sasuke wouldn't show up for the time being, he let the test begin.

The first fight were Naruto and the Hyūga.

»Is everything alright?« I heard Ame's voice in my ear.

My eyes swept through the crowd with activated Sharingan.

»Nothing. But I'm a bit unsure about the number of ANBU's, which are a bit more than I expected,« I said.

»Maybe the Hokage has ordered some more,« Ame speculated.

»Maybe,« I mumbled, staying alert.

I completely ignored the fights and concentrated on seeing something out of the ordinary. There was nothing to see.

Meanwhile, Sasuke had appeared and started his fight against Gaara.

I still wondered why so many Anbu were here. There were six planned, but I counted twelve. Plus the two ANBU who hid near the Hokage.

I decided to investigate and told Ame I wanted to check something.

I had just jumped onto the roof of the box where the Kazekage and the Hokage were sitting, when a commotion broke out. I turned around and saw that the crowd of onlookers were trapped in a Genjutsu and sitting unconscious on the seats.

»Stay with Hokage-sama,« said the voice in my ear.

I jumped to the edge of the roof and looked headlong into the box where the Kazekage threatened the old man with a kunai.

»Hello Shizuka.«

I looked at the blue-robed Kage. The man's eyes changed and I looked into yellow irises.

»I almost thought you'd show up here, Orochimaru,« I replied.

A quiet laugh came from him and he jumped, along with the Hokage, on the roof on which I was.

»What do you want to do now?« he asked amused.

I unsheathed my tantou.

Four Shinobi appeared in the four corners of the roof. On their headbands was the sign of the Hidden Sound Village.

»Get away from there,« I heard Ame next to me before he jumped to the next roof, dragging me behind him.

At that moment, a barrier was raised, enclosing Orochimaru and the Hokage.

It was good that I didn't have to fight Orochimaru. Less well, the Hokage now had to compete alone with the snake.

»What do we do now?« I asked, looking at the tall man next to me.

»Wait. We can not do any more.«

 **Aranciri - fried stuffed rice balls**


	38. Gone

**Shizuka's Pov.**

I was watching the old man fight the First and the Second Lord Hokage that Orochimaru had unfairly summoned.

Hoping to help him at least in this fight, I had tried to teleport myself into the barrier. Unfortunately it didn't work. I couldn't attack the four creators of the barrier either.

Since I just found myself completely useless, I told Ame, I would go to support the others, but he said we should wait here. In his opinion, there still might be a chance to intervene. He was optimistic. Why had he pulled me away anyway?

I looked into the arena where the Shinobi of the Hidden Leaf were still fighting.

It looked like Gai and Kakashi were competing. That was typical for the Jonin with the green body suit. In my early days, I've seen how both men performed an open-road competition from time to time.

That wasn't really good for me. I wanted Orochimaru's notes about Danzo. I would only get that if he stayed alive.

I was about to reconsider how I could get in the barrier when I saw Orochimaru chasing his sword through the old man's back. Poor Sarutobi. Although I wanted Orochimaru to survive, it wasn't planned that the Sarutobi would die.

But the Sandaime did not give up. He kept trying to seal the snake. But at some point his strength left him and he sealed at least the part he had already pulled out of Orochimaru's body. Successfully.

The four Sound-Ninja resolved the barrier and supported Orochimaru. They fled with him while the third Hokage died.

I didn't hesitate and ran after them. It took a while to catch up with them. The four had a tremendous pace on it.

»Hey Orochimaru!« I called after them.

The fallen Sannin showed the Ninja's to stop. They stopped and turned to me the next moment.

The snake looked miserable. His arms were purple. He grimaced and looked even paler than usual.

»Which hideout are you going to?« I asked.

»On the border to the Land of Wind,« he brought out panting.

»Expect me at midnight,« I said and turned around again.

During this movement, I thought I saw him grin before he started to cough.

I made my way back to the arena. Ame seemed to be waiting for me. He seemed everything but calm because he was pacing the roof. When I landed beside him, he exhaled with relief.

»They were too fast,« I said.

»That was more than stupid. Wasn't your last meeting with him enough?« he snapped.

»Nothing happened. I may be a kid, but I'm not stupid. I know what I can and can't do, and Orochimaru was weakened,« I replied calmly.

»Let's go back to headquarters, while the others are taking care of Hokage-sama.«

I nodded and followed him.

When we arrived at the headquarters, the events that had occurred were discussed and the losses pointed out. Ame missed the incident with my persecution and explained what had happened. The others were shocked when they learned that the Hokage was dead.

I only listened with half an ear. The talks dragged on until the early evening and we were released.

I hurried to get home. There I took a quick shower and changed my clothes. I put my mask, the ANBU gear and my headband on the bed.

The Tantou I took with me. I had exchanged mine with Shisui's, which my father had kept after his death. Then I took the picture of me and my brother and went to the front door, where my backpack stood. I packed it in quickly before I looked outside.

The dawn has started. It was the best time to go. The Shinobi were mostly busy and the dusk would give me enough protection to get out of the village unseen.

I put the keys in a cup on the small cupboard next to the door and stepped out over the engawa.

I closed the sliding door with the help of a shadow clone and walked through the woods within the village. When I was sure I wasn't being watched, I climbed over the wall and found myself outside the village.

It would take me a few hours to reach the border of the Land of Wind, but I was well in time.

One last look back and I disappeared in the darkness, which had meanwhile settled over the Land of Fire.

 **Sasuke's Pov.**

I was still under investigation so they could judge if I could go home or had to stay at the hospital. My assurance that I was fine, was apparently not enough.

I still wanted to see Shizuka.

The exams were over and I wanted to make the things from three weeks ago clear. It was strange not to be near her.

Actually, Kakashi wanted her to be part of the training when she had free or time. And when she didn't come, he had gone to her.

He told me that she had opted for additional training with this Sai and was busy accordingly.

»Alright. You should rest for the next two days,« the doctor said when he finally finished.

I just nodded and made my way to the Uchiha-District.

On the way, I met Katsu from Shizuka's team, who recognized me and asked me to look after her. The blonde seemed to be worried because she had behaved even more strangely in the last few days than usual.

When I arrived in front of her house, I was a little surprised. The house was in complete darkness. I knocked on the door and waited. There was neither something to hear nor to see.

When, after another attempt, nothing happened, I jumped over the roof into the garden, as I suspected her on the engawa.

Nothing. But according to her comrade, she should be home.

I picked up one of the loose boards of the engawa and pulled out the spare key.

Only Shizuka could get such ideas.

I went to the front door and unlocked it. I searched in the lower floor. Since her key was in the ccup next to the door, she had to be there.

After not being found, I crept up quietly so as not to wake her, if she was already asleep. It was still quite early, but I didn't know if she had to fight today and maybe she was exhausted.

Softly, I knocked on her door. There was no answer. I opened the door a crack and peeked inside.

Her bed was empty. Now I opened the door completely and turned on the light. Her uniform and mask lay on the pristine bed. Besides her headband.

The photo that was usually on the nightstand was gone.

I was overcome by a strange and ungood feeling. I went to her closet and opened it. Empty.

I combed the whole house again. The most important things were all cleared out of the cupboards. Even the fridge was empty and turned off.

Shizuka was gone.

 _ **Alright, Mina! You did it! That was the last chapter of this book. I hope you liked it.**_

 _ **My best friend always told me not to cry because it's over, instead smile because it happened! And there is really no need to be sad 'cause there will be a sequel.**_

 _ **Please tell me what you think/thought of this book, which szene you liked/disliked the most and why. What do you think of Shizuka so far? Will she meet Sasuke again and if so, will she be able to open his eyes and get him away from his revenge on Itachi? What about Danzo?**_

 _ **It would make me really happy if you would answer a few of these questions in the comments.**_

 _ **Ciao**_


	39. Sequel

_**Hello out there!**_

 _ **Since the author and I found a time jump of two years stupid, this story became a three-part one.**_ _**The next part will, as you can surely imagine, take place at Orochimaru's hideouts.**_ **_The title will be_ In the Snake's shadow _and the first five chapters are already written._**

 _ **Have fun!**_ _**~Uchiha Ai**_


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